The Promise
by isaias.rondon
Summary: Frozen AU: When Elsa and Anna were children, Arendelle was attacked by Weselton. The king and queen, their parents, were killed while trying to protect them. As the princesses were escaping, they got separated. Thirteen years passed, the princesses of Arendelle are returning to reclaim their land, not realizing that they'll reunite with one another once again.
1. The Separation

**Author's Note/Warning:** This will be an eventual Elsanna (Elsa/Anna) fic. If you have a problem with reading a story wherein the sisters are romantically together (incest) then I suggest you do not read this. To everyone else, do enjoy.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Frozen in any way, shape, or form; and are only borrowing the characters for this work of fiction. All rights belong to their respective owners and I gain no profit in writing this story.

**The Promise**

**Chapter I: The Separation**

The night is silent. Nothing is heard throughout Arendelle except for the whistling of the wind and the lapping of gentle waves from the fjord. The northern lights dance across the night sky, drawing a princess from her slumber.

The princess, a five-year old child with strawberry blonde hair and a cutely freckled face, slides off her bed. Peering out a massive window, she smiles as she sees the beautiful spectacle of colours splashing across the heavens. She hurriedly scurries to the bed across from her own and looks at her sleeping older sister, an eight year old girl with platinum blonde hair.

"Elsa! Psst! Elsa!" The younger royal whispers to her slumbering sister, yet Elsa doesn't stir from her sleep. The smaller child huffs and climbs the bed, bouncing lightly as she exclaims, "Elsa, wake up! Wake up! Wake up, Elsa!"

"Anna," Elsa grumbles, "go back to sleep."

The strawberry blonde climbs on top of her sister, resting all of her weight on the other as if Elsa is just a mattress.

"I just can't." Anna dramatically says. She raises one of her arms to cover her face and continues to say, "The sky is awake, so I'm awake, so we have to play."

Elsa shoves her sister off herself and turns away to her side, trying to get back to sleep. "Go play by yourself."

Anna lands, rather ungracefully, on the floor and pouts. Then a rather mischievous thought runs through her mind. She quickly hops up the platinum blonde's bed again but instead of climbing on top of her sister, she lifts one of Elsa's eyelids.

"Do you want to build a snowman?" Anna says grinning at her sister. The older girl's eyes pop open and she smiles at the young princess.

Anna happily puts on her snow boots while Elsa wears her slippers. After that, the strawberry blonde pulls her sister out of their room.

They run across the halls, trying to be as silent as they can but failing miserably because of Anna's excitement.

"Come on. Come on. Come on." the younger princess says as she continues to pull her sister down the stairs.

"Shhh, Anna." Elsa shushes her sibling. "We don't want to wake anyone."

Anna just grins at her sister, making Elsa shake her head but a smile paints her face all the same.

They reach the ballroom, both going in and shutting the doors. They go to the center of the room, looking at each other with smiles on their faces.

"Do the magic! Do the magic!" Anna excitedly says, jumping up and down.

Elsa laughs at her sister's excitement but holds her hands out. Snowflakes magically appear from her fingertips, slowly forming into a snowball. She throws the snowball up into the air and it suddenly bursts. Making snow rain down from the ceiling, covering the entirety of the ballroom in a white blanket.

Anna spins around, trying to catch as much snow with her hands and mouth. "This is amazing!" she says as she looks at her older sibling, laughing giddily.

Elsa laughs back while saying, "Watch this!" She stomps her foot and ice creeps across the floor, making an improvised ice rink. Anna slides across the icy floor becoming even more excited than before.

The sisters play with the snow, gliding around the room without a care in the world. Making snow angels and sliding across snow banks, falling into the fluffy sheets of snow now covering the room.

The platinum blonde princess starts rolling around a ball of snow while the other royal rolls one of her own. Elsa's snowball doesn't turn out like a ball at all, instead it becomes a rather crooked rectangular block of snow trying to tell itself that it's round.

Anna's piece doesn't turn out so great either. Although the little girl made a ball from the snow, it is mashed together turning it slightly oval in shape. It doesn't stop the two princesses from making their snowman though.

When Elsa's done, Anna puts her smaller piece on top of her older sister's. They both start making the head of their snowman with the strawberry haired princess making funny faces for her sibling to copy.

Together they make the dorkiest looking head for a snowman ever. The snowman ends up with buck teeth and a silly grin.

When it's finished, Anna looks at it but something is still missing. She runs out to the balcony doors, almost slipping along the icy floor but escaping disaster when she finds her balance. The giddy child opens the doors and searches around the balcony, looking for something.

"Anna?" Elsa asks curiously. Before she can follow her sister, the younger girl returns with two long twigs, three short ones, and five stones in her hands.

Anna hurriedly goes back to their snowman and puts the longer twigs on its sides, making them the snowman's arms. She tries to put the rest of the twigs on its head but finds, to her annoyance, that she cannot reach it. Puffing her face, she turns to Elsa.

The older girl laughs at the ridiculous face her sister is making but reaches out and takes the smaller pieces of twigs from her sibling. The platinum haired princess places them on the head of their snowman thus making it seem to have hair.

Anna smiles at this and then puts two stones on the snowman's face for eyes and the rest on its torso as if they were buttons on a person's clothes.

"Wait!" Elsa suddenly exclaims. The smaller child jumps from the sudden outburst while her sister bolts up and runs out of the ballroom door.

The strawberry blonde looks at the open door with worry. She knows that her big sister won't leave her alone but that doesn't change how she's now in a very large room with no one there with her.

Before she scares herself more with thoughts of demons lurking in the shadows, the platinum haired princess comes back with her hands behind her back and a grin on her face. Anna looks curiously at her sibling and is about to question her when Elsa shows her a carrot.

"For his nose!" Elsa says as she puts the carrot on the snowman's face. Anna sits back and looks at their finished snowman, nodding to herself as if giving her approval to their creation.

Elsa smiles and slides towards the snowman's back, grasping the twigs and wiggling it around.

"Hi, I'm Olaf and I like warm hugs!" She says mimicking a goofy voice.

Anna squeals, hurriedly hugging the snowman. "I love you, Olaf!"

The siblings laugh at their silliness and fall back on the snow, both looking at the ceiling and enjoying their time together.

Anna looks at her side and sees Elsa still giggling lightly. She can't help the smile creeping upon her freckled face at the sight of her older sister like this, happy and free.

She knows Elsa can't always be like this. Papa and mama are always telling her big sister that she needs to be careful, always telling her to be responsible. Her sister is going to be the queen someday and she needs to do this and that.

Anna can't help but feel that their parents want Elsa to grow up right away sometimes, to not enjoy being a kid.

Or maybe they have a different reason. Maybe papa and mama are scared of her sister's powers, that explains why they always forbid Elsa from using them.

The strawberry haired girl knows that their parents love them both very much but there are those rare moments when Anna notices the horrified look on papa's face when Elsa's magic acts up or the disapproving stare mama has when her older sister freezes their tutors' teeth.

She isn't scared of her sister's powers though. On the contrary, the young princess thinks that it's very beautiful and not just because she can have her own personal winter wonderland in the ballroom just by asking Elsa.

The little girl believes that Elsa is Elsa, with or without powers. It doesn't really matter for Anna especially since she loves her sister very much. And Elsa loves her too.

The strawberry blonde believes her sister won't ever hurt her. She trusts Elsa with all her heart. And she knows that her sister trusts her as well.

But sometimes, her platinum haired sister just shuts her out. Especially on days when papa talks to Elsa about her magic, or about hiding those said magic over ice and snow.

It makes her very sad when those days come. Her big sister just sits quietly in their shared room, afraid to talk to Anna, even more so to touch her.

That's why the younger royal always pesters her older sister to play so they can spend time together. Anna will always try to cheer Elsa up no matter what.

Even for just a little while, the smaller princess wants her sibling to forget what papa said about not feeling and concealing Elsa's powers. Or forget about the tutors that always tell her and her big sister what a princess should be, Anna just shrugs them off anyway.

The two of them know better after all. When Elsa's queen, Anna will tell everyone about the magic things her sister can do. They'll take care of their people, and everyone will be happy.

That's all Anna wants, for everyone to be happy. Especially Elsa.

That thought brings an even bigger smile to the strawberry haired princess' face. And as if sensing Anna is staring at her, Elsa looks at her side, seeing the magnificent smile upon her little sister's face.

The platinum blonde feels warmth upon her chest. The concept of warmth is foreign to her because of her powers but that doesn't stop the warmth she's feeling from exploding across her body.

Elsa grins back at Anna, and is about to say something when her younger sister beats her to it.

"Elsa..." Anna whispers shyly, still staring at her big sister.

Elsa is taken aback by her sibling's tone. Anna is always excited and giddy, like a little ball of energy waiting to be let out. She is never shy, especially with Elsa.

The older princess doesn't know what's on her sister's mind but she moves closer to Anna, trying to comfort her by diminishing the space between them. She reaches out to hold the smaller royal's hand.

Smiling encouragingly, Elsa asks, "What is it, Anna?"

The strawberry blonde pulls the other girl closer through their clasped hands. She takes Elsa's other hand with her free one as well. The younger princess then looks at her sister seriously.

The platinum blonde can't help but gasp lightly at the emotions swirling around her sister's eyes.

Elsa thinks that Anna's eyes have always been beautiful. She believes every bit of Anna is beautiful, from her freckles to her strawberry blonde hair but her eyes are so much more.

Anna's eyes are one of the clearest blue Elsa has ever seen. It is electric, always full of life and there's a brightness to them that she can't help but be drawn to. If she is to pick a part of Anna that she loves best, it will always be her sister's eyes.

And those very same eyes that Elsa adores so much are looking at her as if she is the most important person in the world.

The older girl looks back at her sister with the same intensity that is being reflected in her sibling's eyes.

"We'll be together forever, right?" Anna asks her.

The strawberry haired girl doesn't want this to end. Not just this night but this feeling. This feeling of happiness that surrounds her when she's with Elsa. Anna can't explain it, she's just a child after all, but it just feels right for her.

It feels right to just be with Elsa.

The older princess pulls their intertwined hands up and lightly place kisses on her sibling's hands. "Of course, Anna. We'll always be together."

Anna shakes her head and Elsa looks at her with worry. "Why, Anna? You don't believe me?" The platinum haired girl asks with a slight tinge of hurt in her tone, slowly pulling away from her younger sister.

"It's not that, Elsa!" Anna hurriedly says and pulls her sibling into a hug. She wraps her arms around her big sister as far as she can reach, pulling Elsa closer to herself, burying her face on her older sister's shoulder.

"I just want you to promise..." Anna mumbles meekly.

The platinum blonde releases the breath she is holding, feeling the fear from thinking Anna doesn't believe her melt away from her heart. She chuckles lightly and tightly hugs Anna back.

The older girl pulls back a little and raises her hands to lightly touch the other princess' cheeks. Elsa stares at her sister's eyes, her own icy blue ones shining with the same emotions that her younger sibling had a few moments ago.

"I promise, Anna. We'll always be together. No matter what happens, we'll be together." Elsa says as sincerely as she can.

The smaller girl bites her lower lip and shyly raises her hand, closing her fingers into a fist with her pinky outstretched. "Pinky promise?"

Elsa smiles at her sister's adorableness and nods her head. She clasps Anna's extended pinky with her own.

"Pinky promise." The older girl replies resolutely.

Anna responds with a smile that lights up the room and hugs her sister tightly again. Elsa can't help but think that she'll go to the ends of the earth just so Anna will always smile like that.

Hugging her little sibling back, the older girl then pulls away a bit after giving her sister a squeeze, and smiles at her.

"In fact," Elsa says bringing her hands in front of their faces. "Let's try this."

Her face scrunches a bit from concentration but Anna doesn't notice this, too entranced with the ice and snow that is suddenly dancing between her big sister's fingers.

Elsa closes her hands together and a bright light envelops them. When the light subsides, she opens up her hands and there a snowflake lies with the words 'Elsa and Anna' engraved in the middle.

The snowflake is made of a thin sheet of ice but there is something more to it. It looks exquisite, like it is carved from more than frozen water, as if it is made by the heavens themselves.

It isn't big at all. It fits perfectly upon Elsa's outstretched palm enough that she can clutch unto it if she wants without hurting herself. But it isn't small either that you can't see the intricate details swirling around it.

But more than that, it looks like magic itself is infused in it, like a piece of Elsa is in the snowflake.

Anna's eyes widen in surprise and amazement. She knows that her sister has incredible powers but she doesn't know the older girl can do this.

"This will be a reminder of that promise." Elsa continues. "No matter where you are, Anna, as long as you have this, I'll always be with you."

Elsa slowly offers the snowflake to Anna, the younger girl was about to reach in and take it but she retracts her hand.

"What if it melts?" The strawberry haired princess asks with a slight pout on her face.

The older girl laughs lightly and places the snowflake in Anna's hand. "It won't." Elsa says determinedly, "It's a symbol of our promise, Anna. If it melts then it means that I'm breaking our promise and I won't ever let that happen."

Anna is shocked to hear that. She just wants her older sibling promising that she will never leave her alone but this, making something for her, it means so much more to the younger girl.

Anna looks down at the snowflake in her hand, normal snowflakes will start melting by now but true to Elsa's word, it's still in one piece.

An unmelting snowflake.

"See? I told you it won't melt!" The older royal says with pride in her voice. She isn't entirely sure that it will work, making an unmelting snowflake that is.

But she just badly wants to prove to Anna that she means to keep this promise no matter what. And making a snowflake is the first thing that came to her mind.

Not knowing if she'll succeed or not, Elsa just goes ahead with her plan and she makes it happen. She does hope the snowflake doesn't really melt though.

It'll be a shame if it melts when it comes in contact with too much heat. Her younger sister will be so disappointed in her that's why she focused so hard in making the snowflake, trying her hardest to fashion it like the one her mind has thought of.

Anna's heart swells with love. She looks up at her big sister and whispers, "Thank you, Elsa. I love it so much."

Elsa smiles back at her. Feeling that warmth enveloping her whole being again.

The older girl feels a bit drained now though, although she can still feel the warmth that Anna always seems to bring out of her.

Making something as special as an unmelting snowflake with her personalizing it with their names engraved on it took more of her energy than she thought. And a lot of concentration to boot but Elsa doesn't mind.

She doesn't mind at all if Anna will always look at her like she does now - with awe, wonder, pride, and love wrapped up together in the sparkling blue gems that are Anna's eyes.

The younger girl clasps the snowflake in her palms and brings it to her chest. Anna promises herself there and then to always treasure this gift that Elsa has given her.

This is the embodiment of their promise and she will not let anything ever happen to it.

"I love you, Elsa." Anna says as she kisses her sister's cheek.

Elsa blushes lightly as she whispers, "I love you too, Anna."

They smile at each other, just basking at the feeling of being together. Letting the love they feel for one another wrap around them like a blanket of comfort and warmth, as Anna continues to clutch at the snowflake in her hands.

Their peaceful moment shatters when they hear a deep chuckle from out of nowhere. The siblings sit up startled and search for the source of the eery sound.

Leaning against the open balcony doors is a man. He has unruly chestnut-brown hair and a malicious gleam to his mercurial eyes.

"Well, well, well." The man says walking towards the princesses. "What do we have here?"

As he gets nearer, his features can be seen more clearly. He has a ragged scar on his left cheek, shaped like the letter 'X' which looks to have been burned permanently against his skin. He is wearing a captain's uniform with the insignia of Weselton that Elsa recognizes because of all those lessons with their tutors.

The sisters hurriedly scramble off the snowy floor and back away from the approaching stranger. Olaf stands forgotten where they made him not but moments ago.

Anna holds the snowflake more fiercely with her left hand, fearing that she may lose it if something happens.

The soft crunch of snow can be heard against their feet and they both remember to thread carefully, unless they want to slip.

Elsa holds Anna's right hand while she stares at the intruder. He has a sword holstered at his side and the platinum blonde doesn't know if she can protect her sister and herself if he attacks.

Although Elsa knows that she has powers, she hasn't used them in combat before. She's a bit drained too, using her magic to make that snowflake really took more out of her than she'd like but the royal will not let the stranger know that.

Not to mention that her powers are closely connected to her emotions. If she loses control now and panics, she and Anna will have no hope of escaping.

The stranger stops his advance when he notices he is no longer walking on solid floors but instead in snow. He surveys the once pristine ballroom and sees a sheet of ice as its floor with flurries of white powder scattered around it.

His face contorts grotesquely, making him look more like a monster than a man. "It seems that Arendelle's princesses like to play at night." He sneers at the siblings. His eyes glinting malevolently.

Elsa shivers from his stare. Shivering is another thing that she isn't used to. The cold never bothered her but her shivering isn't from the cold but from fear. She's afraid of what this man will do to them, she's terrified of what he will do to her sister.

Anna steps closer to her big sister. She doesn't like how that man is looking at them, most especially at her older sibling. He is staring at Elsa as if she is a piece of meat to be devoured.

The intruder looks mad, and not the angry kind of mad but the crazy kind. Anna thinks that this man has slaughtered innocent lives without remorse and that thought frightens her.

"Your parents should have taught you that monsters come out to play at night." The man says while he pulls out his sword from its sheath, admiring its sharpness.

Anna's breath hitches at the sight of the gleaming metal. Even at this distance, she can see how deadly the blade is and imagines how cleanly it can cut through flesh and bone.

"W-who are you?" The platinum haired royal manages to stutter out. She cringes at herself for letting her fear be known to this man but tells herself that now is not the time for a self scolding.

If the older princess can just find a way to distract him, they can escape unscathed through the open ballroom door that she had thankfully forgotten to close.

The stranger raises an eyebrow and a devilish smirk forms upon his lips. He puts his sword back in its sheath with a flourish, bowing exaggeratedly to the sisters.

"I am Captain Tobias, Elite Guard of Weselton and Master Strategist, your highness." The man says mockingly.

Elsa's eyes widen a fraction. She has heard about this man. The man who has burned countless villages and has slaughtered hundreds just for the thrill of it. The man who was shunned by his own land but Weselton welcomed with open arms because of his prowess in a battlefield.

Tobias is not a man to be trifled with.

A loud explosion then occurs throughout the castle walls, which seems to continue out the gates and into the town. It is as if the castle itself will collapse from the force of impact.

The siblings crouch down to protect themselves if any debris will fall but Tobias stands uncaring, slightly bored with their display of weakness.

When the shaking stops, both sisters look up and check each other for injuries. Anna looks at her hand to see if her precious snowflake is still in one piece. She sighs upon seeing it as perfectly as it once was and holds unto it more tightly.

They stand and stare at the captain, whose back is still facing the open balcony doors, but instead of seeing the northern lights dancing with the evening sky they are startled to see the heavens tinged with orange and red.

The implication of it shakes the sisters to their core.

Fire

Arendelle is burning.

This realization starts a chain reaction, they can now faintly hear the people screaming along the halls, the clash of metal against metal. They can smell the burning wood and stone.

Their castle, their home is burning.

They can only picture the utter turmoil that is happening all around them, from the castle halls to the town square and connecting forest.

Their kingdom is burning and the castle is under seige.

"No!" Anna shouts once the realization sinks in. This can't be happening. Her mind is reeling. She can't grasp any of it, just a while ago everything was perfect and now it is chaos.

People can't be dying, their people can't be dying. A choked sob forces its way out of the strawberry blonde's lips at these thoughts, tears slowly forming upon her eyes.

Anna's sob pulls Elsa out of her trance which pushes her to hold her younger sister in comfort. Ice is slowly forming on the ballroom walls but she doesn't seem to notice this, her mind focuses on making her sibling calm and not her powers.

"Anna, it'll be okay. I'm here, Anna." Elsa whispers lowly, her arms enveloping her sister's form and bringing the other girl closer to herself.

Anna is openly sobbing now, the intruder momentarily forgotten.

Tobias raises one of his eyebrows and scoffs, "Princess, you shouldn't shed tears for something as inconsequential as this."

Anna stiffens upon hearing this and as if a switch is clicked inside her mind, she suddenly turns away from her sister and glares at the man before them. Her face still wet with tears but her eyes burning with a passion that makes the older man smirk.

"Inconsequential! Inconsequential!" the young royal's voice fills the room, one will wonder how such a big voice can fit such a small and young person. "Arendelle is burning! The people, our people are in pain! Can you not hear them?"

Elsa is taken by surprise with her sister's words. She knows that Anna is the kindest soul she has ever known in her short life but her younger sibling's love for their land and their people touches a cord upon the platinum haired princess' heart.

The older girl stands beside Anna and holds her sister's hand again as she stares at the intruder before them, feeling brave for the first time since they saw the man moments ago. The ice upon the walls stops growing when Elsa clasps her hand with Anna's.

Tobias just looks at the siblings amusedly. He knows of the rumor with the eldest Princess of Arendelle. Seeing the room filled with snow and the ice that was crawling up the walls moments earlier proves that the rumor is true.

He isn't afraid of a little girl who can play with ice though. He has played with fire after all.

The pair of princesses intrigues him. The younger seems to be a feisty one while her sister will be fun to play with considering her magic will put up an interesting fight.

It is just sad that they're so young now. If there's anything that Tobias' enjoys, it is a good fight. He can see the potential in these two princesses.

It's such a shame that he has to kill them now. A few years of training will probably mould the two of them into worthy adversaries.

But orders are orders, he'll find a decent opponent soon enough.

Their staring contest is interrupted when the ballroom doors burst open, banging along the walls.

The three people in the room look to see who the new intruder is when they all recognize him as the King of Arendelle, the children's father.

"Elsa! Anna!" He exclaims, running towards his children. He slips a bit on the icy floor but manages to catch himself before he falls.

"Papa!" Both girls say as they rush towards their father.

The children reach their father and he hugs them close to his chest. "Thank God, you both are safe. Your mother and I were both so worried."

Arendelle's king looks at his daughters, surveying them for any injuries. Aside from the snow covering the room which he knows is Elsa's doing and Anna clutching unto a snowflake, again Elsa's doing maybe, his daughters seem fine to him.

The sight of the ballroom covered in ice and snow slightly scares him. He knows that Elsa's powers are only getting stronger as time passes and he fears that it will one day harm those that his daughter loves most. His musings are cut off when the other adult in the room speaks up.

"I'd like to agree with you, sire." Tobias hisses as he advances towards the family before him. "But I was ordered to kill you so I wouldn't count on them being safe for long, your majesty."

The children's father turns toward the speaker who dares threaten his family in his presence. "Captain Tobias. I knew Weselton is responsible for all of this."

The king moves himself in front of his daughters, blocking them from the captain's view. He knows of Tobias' blood thirst and he'll die first before letting that man hurt his children.

Arendelle's king takes out his sword and puts on a defensive stance. He is scared of the beast of a man before him but he'll rather face a demon than let his flesh and blood be slaughtered.

The two girls clutch unto their father's back. This is the first time that they have seen their father draw a sword and they both know that something bad is going to happen.

The sisters are scared, agonizingly so. They don't know what else will happen to their kingdom and to themselves as well, and that terrifies them.

Tobias stops a few feet away from Arendelle's royalty. He can feel their fear and pain, this pleases him.

The agony and turmoil that he brings to this country exhilarates him. It is what he thrives for - for fear and ruin to envelop the world as he is enveloped in it.

Burning this country down is a step closer to accomplishing that goal. And now comes the next one, the slaughtering of the royal family. He is going to enjoy this immensely.

Tobias runs towards the king, pulling out his sword from its sheath. He has always loved to attack not defend.

Whatever the captain is planning to do, it is ruined when a solid wall of ice springs from the floor. It separates the rabid man from the family.

When Elsa sees the armed man running towards them, all she can think about is to make him stay where he is. She knows that if she doesn't do something, they'll be killed.

Her powers materialize in the form of a very thick and solid ice wall that cuts the captain's murderous sprint towards them. Elsa thinks that this will buy them some time to escape.

And they really need to escape as soon as they can for Elsa is now feeling weak. She doesn't know why this is. Using her magic before does nothing to her but after her impromptu snowflake making, it seems as if she needs all the rest she needs.

The platinum blonde braces herself through the exhaustion though. She doesn't want to alarm her father and Anna more than they already are. So she stands with as much strength as she can muster and acts as if nothing is wrong.

The king turns and sees his eldest using her powers. He smiles at her, glad that this is a very useful time for it. Most times, he'd be scolding Elsa due to the blatant display of magic by now but this time is an exception to that.

The reigning ruler knows that dueling with Tobias will only end in catastrophe especially if he is worrying about his daughters' safety as well.

Banging can be heard through the other side of the ice wall. The captain is using his sword to cut through the thick ice. His eyes shining with unadulterated fury for the intrusion of that little wench's powers.

The king hurriedly turns to his children. He knows that an ice wall will not stop Tobias in his quest for their blood.

"Elsa, Anna," he says to his children seriously. "Your mother is waiting for you in the Labyrinth. Go to her and get out of here. Kai is at the docks preparing a boat with Gerda. You must leave Arendelle."

"But papa!" Elsa tries to protest, "You must come with us!"

"Yes, papa! Come with us!" Anna says, tears sliding down her freckled face yet again.

The king's heart breaks at the sight of his daughters so distraught like this but their safety is his first priority.

"I can't, I have a duty to Arendelle and so do you." He says as he stares at his children. "You have to leave now but someday the both of you will come back and save our people. That is your duty."

Anna nods her head. She'll come back one day and she'll save their kingdom. She'll save Arendelle with Elsa and everything will be okay again.

The king smiles at his youngest and pats her head affectionately. He turns to his eldest and holds her hands in his. "Elsa, I want you to protect your sister. Do whatever you can so both of you can escape safely, do you understand?"

Elsa bites her lower lip. She understands the situation and knows in her heart that even without her father saying this, she'll protect Anna with her life.

"Yes, papa. I understand." She answers with conviction.

Arendelle's king smiles at Elsa and hugs her and Anna again. The cracking of ice can be heard more now and he knows that Tobias is almost upon them.

"Now go. Don't look back, run straight to your mother. And remember, I love you both so much." The king says as he clutches unto his daughters for maybe the last time and lightly pushes them to the direction of the open doors.

"We love you too, papa." They both say with tears streaming down their faces. Elsa sniffles and dries her eyes with her hands while Anna just continues to cry.

Elsa holds Anna's hand as they both look at their father one last time before sprinting out the doors, adrenaline pumping into their veins.

The siblings don't look around but they can hear the chaos happening a few halls away from them.

They don't spare this any mind, thankful that the explosion did not cause any damage in the hallway the ballroom is in and that the fighting seems to be concentrated in the entrance hall.

They just run towards the study wherein they know the hidden passageway to the Labyrinth is.

Their parents told them it was there for when an emergency occurs and now surely is an emergency. The Labyrinth is a series of tunnels running under the country. It was made by their ancestors in case the reigning royals need an escape.

They need to get to their mother, that is the sole thing on their minds at the moment so they sprint up the nearest staircase and weave through various hallways until they reach the right one where the study lies.

If they listen more closely upon the turmoil below them, they will be able to hear the unmistakable sound of shattering glass or maybe it is ice, following a very terrifying howl of rage that suspiciously comes from the ballroom moments after the girls enter the study.

Elsa immediately goes to the fireplace inside the room as Anna follows closely behind her.

The older girl touches a brick on the side of the fireplace, making it rumble before shifting to the side, showing a narrow passageway that leads to the hidden tunnels beneath Arendelle.

The platinum blonde looks at her sister and presents her hand, silently asking her little sister to trust her. She knows that Anna trusts her unconditionally but this is different. Their country is under attack and they don't know whether they can survive this or not.

The older girl needs her sister's assurance that no matter what, her strawberry blonde sibling will support her. That her little sister trusts her judgement especially if they don't reach their mother safely.

Anna looks down knowing that if she takes her sister's hand now, this may be the last time they will see their kingdom for years. She doesn't even know if Weselton will leave a country for them to go back to.

The young princess clenches her fists and that is when she feels the snowflake that she has on her hand. The same snowflake that Elsa has made for her earlier.

The strawberry haired princess smiles and looks up at her sister, taking Elsa's hand. Her big sister smiles back and leads them into the narrow hallway.

Upon entering, the fireplace rumbles again and slides back into place. It's dark inside but they can faintly see a lighted torch in the distance.

They silently walk through the narrow passage, heading towards the only source of light. They reach the end of the hallway where the torch is and sees a staircase leading down to the tunnels below them.

Elsa tries to reach up and the get the torch but it is too high up. Grunting uncharacteristically because of frustration, making Anna giggle at the sound her sister just made, Elsa holds up one of her hands and uses her magic to give them a bit of light instead.

The platinum haired royal doesn't really want to use her powers at the moment, she feels that if she overly exerts herself, she'll collapse but they need a light, no matter how faint it is.

The light from Elsa's powers isn't too bright, she does have ice powers and not fire, but the glow from the swirling snowflakes gives enough light for them to see what's in front of them without tripping.

The older princess leads the way down the staircase, being careful to thread cautiously down the steep stairs. It looks to be a long way down and Elsa doesn't want to find out how many broken bones they might get from the fall.

Anna holds tightly to her sister, she knows how clumsy she can be at times and doesn't want to start an accident, not now anyway.

The siblings slowly reach the end of the staircase and now face another dimly lit hall. Elsa stops using her powers, silently sighing in relief from having a moments reprieve from her magic, and walks forward with Anna trailing behind her.

They can see an opening just a few feet in front of them and walk towards it. The two royals suddenly find themselves adjusting to the bright lights that envelop the space.

When their eyes aren't seeing spots anymore, they notice that they are in the middle of a network of tunnels. They are at the heart of the Labyrinth. And a solitary figure stands there with them, waiting for their arrival.

"Anna! Elsa!" The Queen of Arendelle exclaims as she rushes to her children. She has been waiting for them for a while now and has grown worried.

The queen doesn't know whether her children are safe or even if her husband has found them. But seeing them there in front of her, she exhales the grief that has seeped into her heart.

"Mama!" Both girls cry out as they rush towards their mother.

When the queen reaches her children, she kneels in front of them and envelops them in a warm hug. Anna can't control the tears that are streaming down her face at seeing their mother safe.

Elsa clutches unto their mother tightly. She was so scared thinking that maybe the soldiers found out about the hidden passage, so scared thinking that their mother was harmed. But their mother is safe and now she can breathe easily.

The Queen of Arendelle pulls back slightly and looks at both of her daughters. She smiles at seeing them safe but frowns when a thought crosses her mind.

"Where is your father?" The children's mother asks, worry creeping back into her heart for her husband.

Elsa and Anna look at each other and the older decides to be the one to tell their mother what has happened.

"Mama, papa let us go before him." The platinum haired princess says sadly.

"There was a bad man who was saying he was sent here to kill us." Her strawberry blonde sister adds after, shuddering slightly upon remembering Tobias' malevolent stare.

The queen's heart falls. She knows that there is someone who is after their lives but to hear it being confirmed doesn't make her feel better.

She knows that her husband will fend off whoever is after them for as long as he can and she won't let that sacrifice be for nothing. The mother of the princesses just hopes that her husband lives after the ordeal.

The queen stands and composes herself. Now is not the time for grief and agony, her children need her to be strong.

"We need to go to the docks be-" Another explosion shakes above them, cutting the queen from finishing her sentence. She holds on to her children, protecting them if the ceiling above them decides to collapse.

The shaking stops but before any of them can breathe in relief, they hear solid rock breaking.

The three royals look up and see that the ceiling on top of them is about to give in. The queen quickly takes her daughters' hands and pulls them to the right tunnel that will lead them to the docks.

They start running, knowing that there is no time for etiquette and poise at the moment, and rightly so because a few seconds after they enter the narrow hallway, the ceiling falls.

The place where they have stood earlier is now covered with piles of debris, dust exploding upon the heavy rocks' impact on the ground.

The force of the falling ceiling blows out the fire on the torches enveloping the three royals into total darkness.

Elsa immediately uses her powers to give them some sort of light again. Her vision spinning from reusing her magic but her want to see if her mother and sister are safe overriding whatever she is feeling.

She looks at her mother and sees that she is fine. She then turns to look at Anna and thankfully, she too is safe.

"We must hurry. I don't think that the tunnels will hold for long." The queen says urgently.

"Wait!" Anna exclaims distraughtly. Her mother and sister look at her with worry, thinking that she is injured.

Arendelle's queen rushes to her youngest and asks, "What's wrong, Anna? Are you hurt?"

Elsa looks at them, ice slowly creeping on the narrow halls. She is concerned about her sister's safety and her worry manifests into the frost crawling the walls around them.

The platinum blonde feels uncomfortable now, her powers being used is bordering on agony but seeing Anna so crestfallen makes her forget about her own discomfort and focus on her sister.

The strawberry haired girl is almost on the brink of tears again. She doesn't know how it has happened but when they have reached the hallway, she checks if the snowflake is still in her hands.

But it's not there.

"I lost it!" Anna hiccups, sniffling pitifully. She looks up and stares at her sister, standing behind their mother. "I'm so sorry, Elsa! I lost it!"

The queen looks at her youngest with confusion. She turns and questions her eldest, "What did Anna lose, Elsa?"

Realization dawns on the princess, and she can't help but sigh in relief. Her sister is okay and that is all that matters. The ice on the narrow passageway stops from advancing towards them.

Elsa steps forward and crouches down in front of Anna. Her left palm still swirling with her magic to give them what little glow her powers can due to her exhaustion. She reaches out and holds her younger sister's hand with her free one.

Anna notices that her sister's hand is colder than earlier. Elsa's hands are always cool but now they're freezing. She thinks that it's because her big sister is using her powers at the moment and just shrugs the observation off.

She doesn't mind the cold anyway, she loves it when Elsa touches her, cold hands or not.

Her sister has always been reclusive, always second guessing herself because of her powers but Anna always tries to coax Elsa into letting go even for a little while.

She believes that Elsa won't hurt her. She never has and never will. Her big sister is always there for her and she thanks Elsa for that.

"It's okay, Anna. I can make you another one. Please don't cry." Elsa says as she squeezes her little sister's hand.

The strawberry haired girl shakes her head. "I don't want you to make another one! I want that one! It's special!"

Anna is bawling now, really heartbroken at the thought of losing the snowflake Elsa gave her.

The older girl turns to their mother with pain in her icy blue eyes, pain that she feels for Anna's sadness. "I made her a gift earlier but I think she lost it when the ceiling collapsed, mama."

The queen nods her head in understanding.

Her daughters have always been close.

When Anna was born, the king and queen were terrified of what will happen since Elsa doesn't have complete control over her powers.

It was to both of their surprise when they saw young Elsa cradling her baby sister one night, telling little Anna that she loves her very much, that she'll always protect baby Anna, and that she'll be the best big sister ever.

The siblings' bond only grew from there on out. Her oldest daughter does her best to take care of her little sister, going as far as distancing herself when her magic goes awry if Anna is around.

The queen knows without a shadow of doubt that whatever it is Elsa gave Anna, it is irreplaceable for her youngest.

She turns to her distraught daughter, still sniffling with tears running down her freckled cheeks, and decides then there.

"Let's go." The children's mother says as she stands and walks away. Instead of heading towards the path of the docks though, she is heading back to the piles of debris behind them.

Anna immediately perks up when she realizes that their mother is willing to let her look for her snowflake. She runs after her, Elsa being dragged by her little sister through their joined hands.

"What are we looking for?" The queen asks her children when they finally reach her, standing a few feet away from the debris. She tries to see anything other than rocks and darkness but can't due to what little light they have.

"A snowflake!" Anna says already on her knees, crawling around the floor.

The queen's eyebrow raises in silent question. It is for naught though upon seeing her daughter already crawling determinedly, not giving her any mind as Anna keeps looking for the snowflake in question.

Elsa just shakes her head at her sister's antics though she begins to look for the snowflake as well.

Seeing her oldest begin her search, the Queen of Arendelle decides to join in too.

They try their hardest to look for the snowflake with what little light the platinum blonde's powers can give but it is of little aid to them in the cavernous space.

The queen silently prays that they find her youngest daughter's snowflake soon for time is not by their side. She knows that they need to put as much distance between them and the enemy as possible, less they be caught and murdered.

Anna surveys the ground earnestly. She needs to find that snowflake. She doesn't want to lose it. Her big sister made it for her, a symbol of their promise to always be together no matter what, and she desperately needs it now since their kingdom is not safe.

The platinum haired princess is trying to look for the missing snowflake as well, trying being the key word. She doesn't really feel that well anymore, her vision slowly becoming blurry. The magic that she has on her palms for light is flickering now and then.

The older girl feels sick. Like she will collapse at any given moment now. She decides to lean against a pile of rocks beside where she has searched and wishes that they find the snowflake quickly.

The strawberry blonde huffs from frustration. She's getting dirt on every part of her body due to her thorough search of the floor but still she hasn't retrieved her snowflake yet.

She looks up and surveys her surroundings. Curiously, she finds something glinting a few feet away from her and the girl decides to see what it is.

She crawls over to it and gasps in relief. A shrill cry of joy suddenly is heard in the dimly lit space. "I found it! Elsa! Mama! I found my snowflake!"

The two other royals rush over to their youngest family member upon hearing her exclaim that she has found what they are looking for. The platinum haired princess moving considerably slower than the queen.

"Where is it, Anna?" The Queen of Arendelle asks her daughter, curious with what is so special about the snowflake her eldest has made.

Anna grins and shows it to her mother, still brimming with joy and elation at being reunited with the gift Elsa has given her.

The queen gasps lightly and so does her eldest daughter. The strawberry haired royal scrunches her face at both of their reactions and looks at the snowflake as well.

With Elsa near, Anna can now see more clearly due to the glowing swirls in her sister's hand and that is when she notices that her snowflake is glowing.

It is faint and with the little light she had earlier, the strawberry blonde didn't notice that the glinting she has seen is the golden glow that the snowflake is giving off.

Elsa is stunned at seeing the gift she has made for her sister glowing like that. She doesn't understand why that is and she thinks that maybe it has something to do with her magic.

The older princess stares at the snowflake in her sibling's hands more closely and that is when she notices that the faint glow isn't the only thing that's different with it.

It changed - or is changing. Only miniscule details that is not noticeable to anyone but the maker.

Like a real snowflake falling from the heavens, the snowflake the oldest princess has made changes as well. Adapting to the environment and forming itself anew.

It looks thicker now than when Elsa created it minutes ago. It doesn't look as delicate as it once was but it is still as beautiful or even more so.

Before the platinum haired princess can find out more, cracking can be heard above them. It is only then that the three royals notice more of the ceiling collapsing.

The rocks fall without giving them any time to flee so the queen pulls her daughters to herself and braces for impact.

Nothing happens.

The Queen of Arendelle looks up and sees ice above them making a new ceiling and acting as a net for the falling rocks.

"Thank you, Elsa." She says as she turns to her oldest, knowing that she is the one responsible for saving their lives.

The princesses' mother notices that Elsa is breathing heavily. Small puffs of air can be seen when she exhales and the temperature around them seems to be dropping rapidly.

"Elsa?" The queen says tentatively, reaching to touch her oldest. Her daughter hasn't reacted to what she has just said, as if she didn't hear anything.

The platinum blonde is having difficulty with breathing. When the ceiling is collapsing, her first instinct is to make a solid ice cover for them.

That is ending quite badly now though. This recent use of her powers doesn't result with more fatigue over her body.

Instead, it gives her pain.

She feels a thousand needles piercing her skin and a giant fist squeezing the air out of her lungs simultaneously.

Her insides are burning, like molten lava is running through her veins instead of blood. She feels as if she's burning alive and it terrifies her.

Elsa doesn't know what heat is. Being born with powers over winter, she has always been perpetually cool. But this experience she is having now is nothing short of torture.

She wants it to end.

When the queen finally touches her eldest daughter, the princess can only do one thing.

She gives a shriek of agony, falling into her mother's arms. Wheezing lightly, trying to get much-needed oxygen into her burning lungs.

Anna hears and sees her sister collapsing over their mother. She rushes to her sibling's side, worry etching itself to her freckled face.

"Elsa?" The strawberry haired princess asks, tears threatening to fall from her eyes. "Elsa, wake up. This isn't funny."

"She's burning hot." Their mother whispers, words dripping with concern. Her eldest has always been cool to the touch but now, she's burning hotter than when one has a fever, and Elsa has never had a fever before.

The queen shifts her hold on her daughter, cradling her close to her chest. She turns to her youngest and sees the fear and distress in her daughter's eyes.

Once electric blue gems swirling with life now darkens with anguish for her older sister's well-being.

"We need to go now, Anna. Your sister needs help." The queen says, her voice cracking with panic for her daughter.

The strawberry haired royal nods her head and clutches on to her mother's dress. Tears trickling down her face, she looks up at her older sister.

Elsa's face is scrunched up, whimpering now and then. Anna sees that her big sister is in pain, and it hurts her as well.

She has never seen her platinum blonde sibling like this at all. Elsa never gets sick, she's actually the one who always dotes over Anna when the young princess was unwell.

And now that Anna has seen Elsa in pain, she doesn't want to see her big sister like this ever again.

With Elsa passed out in her mother's arms, the magic that has given them light fizzles out. The temperature around them slowly going back to normal. The glow from Anna's snowflake turns into a substitute light, replacing the one that is lost.

The other royals do not notice that the glowing snowflake is giving off more light now than when Anna found it moments ago. They are too occupied with concern for Elsa.

The two start running towards the passageway that will guide them to the docks, the queen leading the way with her whimpering daughter in her arms.

"It's okay, Elsa. We're here. We'll get help. We got you, Elsa." Anna whispers behind her mother, her heart aching for her sister. "We got you."

She holds on to her snowflake tighter, it's the only thing keeping her from going hysterical due to distress for her sibling.

The queen turns left at the first fork in the hallway, then right, straight, left, left, then right. This place is called The Labyrinth for a reason and one can get lost here if they do not know the way.

This place wasn't only made to help the royals escape. It is also housing various traps for whoever is brave enough to trudge inside it without knowing the layout of the underground maze.

The strawberry blonde princess can't remember how many twists and turns they made. She just follows behind her mother diligently, silent tears streaming down her face.

At long last, they reach a passageway with a man holding a torch, waiting for them at the edge of a dead-end.

"Your Highness!" The man exclaims, rushing towards them.

"Kai!" The queen says, rushing towards their most trusted servant. Her arms ache from having carried her daughter and running through the seemingly endless halls that The Labyrinth is composed of.

Kai reaches the queen and bows lowly in respect, the torch is held away from his body to avoid anyone being accidentally burned.

He looks up and notices that her queen is carrying Princess Elsa in her arms. The eldest princess seems to be knocked out and breathing shallowly.

The mother of the child notices the worry in the man's features. "Elsa passed out after saving us. She's running a severe fever."

The portly servant looks startled. "My Queen, the princess has not had a fever before."

Arendelle's queen nods solemnly. She is aware of this and it makes her heart ache more knowing that they have no idea what is happening to her eldest.

A sniffle is heard and the adults turn to look at the small figure behind the queen.

Anna is clutching her mother's dress tightly as her other hand holds the snowflake close to her chest.

She's terrified.

More than when she was in the ballroom with Elsa facing that deranged man, Tobias. Or that time that she got lost in the palace grounds thinking she'd never see her family again.

Her platinum haired sister was the one who found her crying behind the bushes, and that same sister was there when the captain was staring at them with evil intent in his eyes.

Elsa's her saviour, her constant, her rock. She doesn't know what she'll do without her sister.

"A-nna"

The people in the passageway look up in surprise. All of them can swear that they heard a whisper.

They look at the only person that could have said something besides them and wait in anticipation.

Anna moving closer to her sister as she wills Elsa to say something again.

"D-don't cry..." A pale hand twitches.

The platinum blonde feels disoriented. She can't remember anything aside from using her powers to save her mother, Anna, and herself from being crushed by the falling rocks.

Everything after that seems blurry to her, everything except the unrelenting flames.

Flames that seem to want to eat her whole.

The burning is unforgiving. It starts from her chest, crawling outwards to every crevice of her body. Her whole being is devoured by fire.

Then the needles start their attack. Piercing her skin, one by one then all at the same time. Continuously prickling her.

It is as if they want the molten lava that is her blood to flow out of her veins and engulf her skin in an inferno as well.

The flames are only fanned more with the invisible grip that is on her lungs, taking every breath she has.

She can't do anything but gasp and whimper. Her throat raw and aching, parched from the flames all around her.

She wants to scream, lash out, scratch her skin raw, use her powers to cover herself in ice. Anything to just stop these fire torturing her so but even her body is not listening. Her strength dies out.

Elsa feels like she is being burned alive in the fiery depths of hell. The girl doesn't know how long this torture will last, it has seemed endless to her.

The flames just get hotter and hotter, never-ending. The needles seem to morph into knives then swords. Instead of piercing her skin, they seem to be cutting her flesh and bones. The grip on her lungs tightens, trying to crush the fragile organ.

It is torture, unbelievingly so.

It is too much for the princess' young body.

Until suddenly the torture reaches an invisible peak. The platinum haired child thinks that she'll die from all the agony but then the flames suddenly die out.

The burning slowly ebbs away. The slicing stops abruptly. The squeezing relents.

She can breathe again.

Her whole body is aching, her mind is in a daze but a silent sniffle cuts through the fog in her mind.

Elsa's mind jumps start at the sound, she knows that sound. It's a sound she has heard countless of times when she was younger and many times more growing up.

She has heard that sound while in the garden, a strawberry blonde toddler trips and scrapes her knee.

She heard it when there was thunder booming outside the window of the bedroom, a freckled face jumping into her bed.

She has heard it a lot, and most times that sound is followed by something even more heart wrenching.

This is a sound that engulfs her whole being with panic, and hearing it hurts her more than the torture she has just endured.

Her sister is crying. Anna is crying again.

The platinum blonde tries to bring her hands up and reach for her sibling but fails miserably. She is far too tired.

"Elsa!" Anna yells, clasping her sister's hand in a tight grip. When she hears her older sister whisper for her to stop crying, all she can do is cry more.

Her sister is okay, or she will be. And that's all that matters to the strawberry blonde royal.

"Elsa, can you hear me?" The queen whispers as she hugs her daughter close. She notices that her eldest isn't burning hot anymore and slowly returning to her normal temperature.

"Mama..." Her eldest says, her voice cracks and the queen picks up on this but hearing her daughter speak just lightens the heavy load that has struck her heart.

Her daughter is alive and even though she is not perfectly well, she will be and that alone is reason enough for the queen to smile.

She hugs Elsa more tightly, saying affectionately, "Don't make us worry like that, Elsa."

"I'm sorry, mama." The child whispers weakly. She knows that something must have happened while she was, for lack of better term, out of sorts.

If the platinum haired princess is being honest with herself, she will just pretend that it didn't happen. It being the pain she has felt moments earlier that seemed to span for a lifetime.

She doesn't understand how it happened or what it was that exactly happened, just that it did. And it was a very unpleasant feeling, that is putting it mildly.

The queen pulls back and smiles at her daughter again. She reaches out and pushes a few stray strands of platinum blonde hair back into place as her other daughter tugs on her older sister's hand.

"You're okay, Elsa!" Anna sobs, bringing her sister's hand close to her chest as the smaller girl's other hand clutches to the snowflake.

"I'm okay, Anna. Please don't cry." The older girl says, trying to open her eyes and see that her little sister is okay.

Elsa musters as much energy as she can and wills herself to open her eyes. When she finally succeeds, her vision swirls a bit from the sudden invasion of light but then corrects itself after a while.

The first thing she sees is the blue orbs of her sister, glassy and frail from the tears still lingering her eyes.

Elsa smiles weakly, squeezing her sibling's hand encouragingly.

Anna smiles and squeezes back. Her eyes brightening upon seeing the familiar arctic hues of her big sister's eyes.

"Your Majesty," Kai says, relief coating his words as he sees the princess slowly gaining back some colour upon her pale face. "The boat is prepared. We need to get you and the princesses to safety."

The queen nods understandingly. Her relief for her daughter now being overshadowed by the gravity of the reality they are in.

They are not truly safe yet. After they sail off Arendelle and seek refuge in another kingdom is when they will be truly safe.

She turns back to Elsa, her daughter already staring at her. "I'm going to hand you over to Kai, Elsa."

"I can stand, mama." The platinum blonde weakly protests. "No one has to carry me."

Their mother shakes her head and looks knowingly at the man before her. The man understands what his queen is conveying.

Working for the royal family for seventeen years now, he immediately knows what his queen wants of him.

She wants him to carry her daughter to safety. She wants him to protect her daughters from any harm that is to come to them. And if it comes to it, she wants him to put her daughters first before her life.

Kai nods resolutely at his queen's silent requests, taking the princess from the monarch's arms, as he carefully hands over the torch he has held to the queen.

"Thank you." Arendelle's queen whispers silently as she hands over her daughter to a man that she knows will take care of them both if something were to happen to her, taking the torch from Kai's hands.

She trusts this man fully, even thinking of him as family and not the servant that his title is. He has been there for all of them, from her husband to her youngest, without fail.

Kai and his wife, Gerda, are the two people she trusts most in this world who will take care of her daughters if it comes to it.

The man nods, knowing that the queen would not want him to answer vocally.

Her queen thanking him is not gratitude of a royal to a servant but of a mother entrusting her children to someone she believes will take care of them.

No words are needed, none are said.

He adjusts the princess in his arms to a more comfortable place and starts leading them to the end of the hallway.

The queen holds up the torch, giving them much-needed light and takes Anna's hand in hers. The little princess is still staring at her older sister, worried that she might pass out again.

Anna tightly holds on to her mother and the snowflake in her other hand. All of them do not notice that the snowflake has stopped glowing by then.

"I'm really okay now, Kai." Elsa whispers to the man carrying her. Her strength is slowly coming back to her and she doesn't want to be a bother to the man.

She thinks of him as her uncle instead of a man serving the royals. He and Gerda are always there for her and Anna, like doting relatives fussing over the both of them. She doesn't want to be a burden now when their kingdom is in turmoil.

"Nonsense, Princess Elsa. You need your rest." The man says as he presses a part of the wall in front of him.

The platinum haired princess huffs in defeat and lays her head on Kai's shoulder, accepting the fact that she will be carried until they believe her well enough to walk.

Like the fireplace that the siblings went through, a part of the wall rumbles and slides out-of-place.

They walk through the opening and find themselves standing in front of the docks. A bombardment of noise and light overwhelming them for a moment.

In The Labyrinth, everything has been silent. The people roaming through it heard nothing but their own breathing and saw nothing except for the endless halls shrouded in darkness.

Standing underneath the night sky, they can hear the utter destruction happening around Arendelle.

Behind them where the town square once has been; people are shouting, screaming, crying, begging the few soldiers of their land that are not fighting off the soldiers of their enemies to help them.

The women hold their children close as they watch their homes being burned down into ashes, the men trying in vain to stop the fires eating the houses and establishments one by one.

The acrid smell of burning flesh mixing with wood and stone, the smell of blood on steel permeates all around.

It is chaos.

The queen inhales deeply, her heart screaming for her people, for her country, for Arendelle.

This is not something she has wished for her kingdom.

Kai hurries on to the solitary boat moored on the docks.

Their ships have sunk upon the enemies ambush, all of them. From fishing vessels to trade boats and battleships.

Every last means of escape destroyed except for one.

This night has clearly been planned.

The Kingdom of Arendelle has been utterly unprepared for the onslaught of attacks their Weselton has thrown at them.

The servant has been deeply terrified upon reaching the docks and seeing every last one of their kingdom's ships burning in sight.

The enemy has landed their armada of warships on the western side of their country. The side being shrouded in the shadows of the mountains and thick foliage of the forest.

Weselton's ships might have been here for weeks and the rulers of the kingdom were none the wiser.

Arendelle is ill-prepared.

It is thanks to luck that Gerda thought of asking the villagers if they had a boat, a ship, anything that may help the royals.

Most of them pushed the two away, worrying more about their own lives than anything else.

Until an old man approaches the two, saying that he has an old fishing boat that can be of use to them.

The boat is a traditional sailboat for small fishermen. It is basically just a long rowboat with a sail and nothing more.

The three brings the boat to the docks, everything happening around them seemingly forgotten.

When the boat is moored, Kai thanks the old man. He just smiles at them and says that he is just serving his kingdom by helping their royals.

He left without saying anything more.

Kai then tells his wife that he will wait for the royals inside The Labyrinth and she agrees, saying that she'll go and look for supplies that may help them in their journey.

Looking at the boat now, Kai looks alarmed to see that Gerda has not returned yet.

The queen notices Gerda's absence as well. "Where is your wife, Kai?"

The question rings through the evening air, thick with tension and fear.

"I am here, Your Majesty." A voice says from behind the stone steps leading up to the town square.

A woman walks out from the shadows and Kai smiles at seeing his wife well and safe.

Another set of foorsteps is then heard, everyone waits in baited breath to see who it is.

A blond boy with tawny brown eyes peep behind Gerda with a reindeer calf beside him.

Anna immediately notices them, giving the two an encouraging smile.

Seeing the boy, who looks like the same age as her big sister, excites the young princess despite what is happening in Arendelle.

She has not met any other children before. It has always been just her and Elsa so the boy and his reindeer is a welcome addition.

"Your Highness," Gerda ushers the boy and the calf in front of her, presenting them to the other people at the docks. "this is Kristoff and Sven."

Kristoff, the boy with matted golden hair, smiles sheepishly at the queen as Sven jumps excitedly in greeting.

The queen nods, acknowledging them and ushering the other woman to continue talking.

"I found them at the edge of town pulling a block of ice on a sled." Gerda explains. "I asked them where their family is but Kristoff said that they have none."

Kai is surprised to hear what his wife is saying. He shifts Princess Elsa in his arms before asking, "They're orphans?"

His wife nods, a tinge of sadness crossing her face. "Yes…" She says answering her husband then turning back to the queen she continues, "I couldn't just leave them behind so I brought them here with me, my queen."

Arendelle's monarch understands Gerda's reasons for taking in the boy and his reindeer companion.

Not being gifted with the chance to raise a child because of complications, Gerda and Kai gave their full attention to taking care of the royal family, especially their children.

Seeing an orphan must have stroke at the motherly woman's heartstrings, urging her to take the orphans under her wing.

The queen smiles warmly at the young blond and walks towards him. She crouches down and extends her hand in greeting. "It's nice to meet you, Kristoff."

The light brown eyes of the lad widens at seeing the queen extending her hand to him. He immediately wipes his palms on his pants and takes the queen's hand in his smaller one, shaking it slightly.

"It's n-nice to meet you too, Your Majesty." Kristoff says shyly.

The queen smiles wider at the boy's reaction. She turns to the calf and greets him as well. "It's nice meeting you as well, Sven."

The young reindeer approaches the queen and gives her a lick on her cheeks. Everyone gasps in surprise, except for Elsa who can't see anything due to being carried by Kai, but Arendelle's monarch just chuckles and pets the calf affectionately.

The queen looks back and waves her strawberry blonde daughter to come forward.

Anna walks enthusiastically towards her mother and waves at the boy, petting the reindeer beside Kristoff as soon as she is near.

"This is my youngest daughter, Anna." The queen says as her daughter smiles widely. She turns again and silently asks for Kai to move forward as well.

He complies without question. Elsa finally seeing the two new additions to their small party.

"And this is Elsa, my oldest. The man carrying her is Kai, Gerda's husband." The queen finishes the introductions.

The platinum blonde wants to be put down from her perch in Kai's arms but he shakes his head no and holds on to the princess more firmly.

She is feeling a lot better now but knowing her pseudo-uncle, he won't let go of her unless her mother tells him to, and the queen hasn't told him to.

She does the next best thing that can be done by anybody in her current position. She sits up slightly, as much as Kai will allow her, and inclines her head in acknowledgement.

"It's nice to meet you, Kristoff." Elsa says. Because of her position, it looks as if she is addressing the reindeer calf instead of the boy.

Anna snorts a laugh. Her elder sister turns to look at her, confusion written all over her face.

"It looked like you were talking to Sven!" The strawberry blonde says, giggling at the prospect of her sister interchanging the two names.

The platinum haired girl just smiles and shakes her head, feeling light-hearted for the first time since the ordeal she has went through earlier.

Anna always knows how to make her feel better.

"Well, I'll just call them both Sven to save me the trouble then." Elsa says teasingly, making her sister giggle harder and the boy in question huff in frustration. The reindeer just jumping excitedly at hearing his name.

With the introductions done, the queen stands and motions for them to move towards the boat.

Kai enters it first with the princess in his arms and carefully sits Elsa down. Gerda helps the other children and reindeer into the boat before going in as well.

The queen turns and looks back at her kingdom.

Smoke is still rising into the air, chaos is still brewing in the town square, burnt remains of various things is stil lingering in the air.

Arendelle is falling.

Her eyes well up with tears, grief crippling her chest as she looks at her homeland for may be the last time.

She composes herself, discreetly wiping the tears that have rolled down her cheeks. She doesn't want her children seeing her like this.

When she finally thinks that she has finally found some semblance of control, she turns and heads towards the boat.

Everyone is looking at her. She smiles at all of them, silently telling them that everything will be okay.

A low rumble is then heard behind them and before anyone can even react, something flies from the now open passageway.

The queen looks down in shock, a sword can be seen piercing through her chest. Blood slowly flowing out from her wound.

"Don't think you can escape me so easily, Your Highness." The chilling voice of Tobias says as he walks out from The Labyrinth and into the docks.

His clothes are splattered with blood but it doesn't look as if any of it belongs to him. His silver eyes glinting menacingly, derangely at the sight before him.

The people in the boat give a shriek of terror. The strawberry haired princess wanting to get up and go to their mother but Kai's arms instantly wrap around her, preventing her from moving.

"Mama!" Anna screams, tears flowing down her lightning blue eyes, horror and dread filling them.

Elsa can only stare at their mother, unbelieving of what is happening.

Tobias stalks forward as Gerda immediately unties the ropes keeping the boat in place. Her husband hurriedly handing the thrashing princess to his wife's arms as he takes an oar and begin paddling out of the docks.

The captain reaches the wounded queen and pushes her to kneel on the ground. He holds the sword in her chest and pulls it out.

Blood splatters everywhere.

The queen's body convulses, there is a gaping hole in her torso now and yet she stays kneeling, watching the boat where her children are.

"Any last words, Your Majesty?" Tobias hisses behind her. The sword that pierced her moments ago is being positioned on her neck.

She closes her eyes, accepting the fate that she has. If her death will bring her children to safety then so be it.

The captain doesn't wait for the queen to say anything. He reels his hands back and swings his sword, chopping the head of the queen.

The body falls haphazardly on the docks as the queen's head rolls away towards the edge and falling into the waters.

Tobias smiles madly, looking at the escaping boat before him.

He calmly walks to the edge of the docks, stepping over the body of the queen, and stares unwaveringly at the two princesses.

Anna shrieks even more upon seeing her mother being beheaded. "Mama! Mama!"

Her screaming brings out Elsa from her trance and tears immediately form upon her eyes.

She stands, making the boat wobble a bit. Before Kai or Gerda can pull the platinum haired princess down, she raises her arms and sends forth a gust of winter winds.

Elsa's mind is only focusing on one thing and that is to look after her sister. They need to escape, she needs to keep Anna safe.

The winds move the boat faster, the sail helping them to put a lot of distance between them and Aredelle, between them and Tobias.

The captain just smirks. Holding the sword in front of him, he stares at the blood dripping down from it.

He looks up again and throws his sword at the direction of the boat. Not staying to see if he has hit his target, Tobias walks away knowing that he'll have an opponent worthy of his time in the future.

Anna keeps crying and shouting and thrashing. She cannot believe what has just happened.

She wants to believe that everything is just a bad dream, that she's still sleeping in her bed with her older sibling sleeping in the bed across from hers.

Elsa looks at her sister with pain in her eyes, it hurts her to see Anna like this.

Her sibling should not have seen what that monster has done. But she has, they both have seen, and the platinum blonde knows that this is something that will haunt them for years to come.

"Anna, please don't cr-"

The strawberry blonde girl immediately looks up when her sister didn't finish her sentence.

Terror fills her eyes at seeing Elsa pierced on her left shoulder with the sword that murdered their mother.

It is as if time stood still for a few moments. Like everything was going too slowly or the strawberry blonde is just moving far too fast.

Anna stands to go to her sister.

Elsa looks at her, slowly losing her balance. She's slowly falling to her side. She gives her sister a pained smile.

"I'm sorry, Anna." The platinum haired girl says as she waves her hands again to bring a mightier gust of wind before she falls off the boat and into the waters.

"ELSA!"


	2. The Invitation

**Author's Note:** I'd like to thank everyone who has given the time to read this story, I appreciate it very much. I also want to apologize for all mistakes, grammar and otherwise, that can be found in this fic.

**Warnings:** Slightly Dark, contains a bit of torture and physical abuse

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the characters found in this story in any way, shape, or form; and are only borrowing them for this work of fiction. All rights belong to their respective owners and I gain no profit in writing this story.

* * *

**The Promise**

**Chapter II: The Invitation**

* * *

Darkness

It always starts with darkness.

No light, no people, no villages, no trees, no nothing. Just darkness. And then the sobbing begins. Lowly at first, like a whisper in the night. Then building up louder and louder and louder until it's not sobbing anymore but screaming. Ghastly wails, terrifying and yet hauntingly beautiful. It goes on for what seems like hours without end, resounding inside the darkness like a hymn of mourning. Slowly, the shrieks die out. Nothing but whimpers in the void remains. Then utter silence.

Light bursts, blindingly bright from nowhere. After the darkness is always light. As the light abates, nothingness continues to exist. And standing in the middle of the vast planes of oblivion, a girl with long flowing strawberry blonde locks stares at the emptiness before her.

"Anna"

This is the girl's favorite part.

She smiles at the voice, knowing full well who it belongs to. "Elsa" The girl whispers, her silent voice soars across the space around her. She can feel the smile painting on the other's face without seeing it. This brings a smile to her lips as well.

Anna starts walking aimlessly, knowing that wherever this is, it will bring her to where she needs to be. It always has. She hums a familiar tune, their mother's lullaby, as she waits for the voice to say something, anything. This is a well-rehearsed dance for them. The voice leads and she follows, knowing that her sister won't bring her astray.

"I miss you." Elsa's voice says sadly.

The girl immediately stops in her tracks, breath hitching from her sister's confession. Countless of times this has happened to her, to them. Being in this void and having Elsa's voice as her only companion. They talk about nothing, they talk about everything. But never once did they say anything about what they're feeling. Not until today.

"I miss you too, Elsa." Anna says weakly, her heart breaking for her sister, for herself.

"Don't cry, Anna."

This makes her smile. Over the years, her platinum haired sister, or more specifically her sister's voice, has said those same lines to her many of times. It's like a mantra that calms her now. No matter how many times she has heard it, just the thought of her sister caring so much for her that she'd beg her not to cry, lifts her weary spirit.

"I won't, Elsa. I haven't cried in a long time now." Anna says with pride coating her voice. She hears laughter echoing around her, and grins at the sound of it. She might not be able to see her sister but hearing her is worth so much more than not having anything at all.

There was a time when she hated this. Hated the fact that she can't see her older sister. She used to loathe it actually because of the many times she cried, begging Elsa to show herself. To stand before her and take her away. All those times ending the same way, with her sister's voice saying she can't.

Anna abhorred those times. She didn't understand what her sister meant when she said that she can't. All she wished is to see Elsa, her platinum blonde sibling with those cool blue eyes that centers her very being. It wasn't something too much to ask. But years passed and things remained the same. She slowly understood what Elsa meant, and she was saddened upon the realization that came over her. After some time though, she grew to accept this, whatever it is, at face value. At the very least she can hear her sister. That is something she is very grateful for. Without that voice, she might have been lost forever.

All these years, Elsa is still her savior.

And it really has been so long. Thirteen years in fact. Thirteen agonizing years of just having this. Having only a void in space with a voice that she longs to see and hold someday. She just wishes that someday will come sooner rather than later. The strawberry blonde stops her musings and sits in the middle of nowhere. Looking up at the blankness above her, she hears the laughter of her sister die out.

"Where are we headed this time?" Anna asks curiously as the darkness is slowly creeping in. She doesn't give this any mind, this has happened before after all. It's like clockwork actually. She arrives here, in this nothingness, and gets to talk to her sister. After some time, the darkness comes and brings her to a place. The setting changes every time she arrives here, sometimes they go somewhere they've already been to. Other times they go to a new world all together. But every single place they arrive at seems to have an impact on the both of them, be it negatively or positively.

Silence answers the younger girl and that explains more than any words her sister can say.

"That place again, huh?" Anna says already bracing herself for what is to come.

"Yes," Her sister's voice exhales breathily, "I'm afraid so."

The girl just nods her head, accepting her fate. She stands and smiles, silently telling her sister that she's fine. She might not be able to see Elsa and maybe Elsa can't see her too but they can feel one another. And she knows that her sister can feel her smiling now. Her older sister responds with an encouraging smile as well. "It'll be okay, Anna. I'll be right there with you."

"I know." She says before the darkness slowly creeps towards her.

This is her least favorite part, when the darkness is engulfing her and bringing her to the place she needs to be. The long dark tendrils of oblivion wrap themselves upon her every limb and slowly eat away her body until she is one with the void. This reminds her a lot of that night. The night that had changed her life so much.

Anna doesn't struggle with the darkness, she's been through this so much that she knows struggling will do nothing. She breathes calmly, feeling her sister doing the same. And when oblivion has finally enclosed every part of her in its grasp, it disappears.

She slowly opens her eyes and finds herself in a forest, a forest that she knows so well. She doesn't wait for anything to happen, she immediately walks deeper into the foliage, knowing where she needs to go. Her heart is racing, it has been a while since the darkness led her here. She knows what is going to happen and yet knowing doesn't help her calm down at all.

As she walks deeper into the forest, she can hear the silent sobs of a child. That is what she is waiting for. Turning, the sight before her makes her gasp. She has seen this before, a lot of times actually, but the scene playing in front of her still tugs at the feelings she'd rather leave in the past where they belong.

Crouched under a tree is herself, or more like a five-year old Anna. The child's clothes tattered, her arms full of scratches and scrapes. Her frame looks sickly. The small girl has sunken eyes, hollow with no light shinning in them. Gone were the once vibrant electric blue hues, in its place a dull grey resides. The child looks like she hasn't eaten a decent meal in days, maybe more. And it seems like she doesn't plan to. She is the very definition of fragile, weak, and defeated. The girl is just sitting there, breathing, staring. All she does is stare.

Stare at a snowflake in her palms.

It was the snowflake her sister gave her. The snowflake that embodies Elsa's promise to always be there for her. And that same snowflake is melting in her hands right now. It has been like that for the past nine days. Nine days since Arendelle was attacked. Nine days since her mother was murdered. Nine days since Elsa fell off the boat with a sword pierced on her shoulder.

The older Anna can only stare at her younger self. She remembers every emotion that she had experienced during those nine horrifying days - confusion, denial, sorrow, loneliness, fear. The fear worst of them all. She absentmindedly touches the pendant strung on a silver chain, acting as a necklace. Feeling it beneath her fingers, she holds on to it fiercely as she moves closer to her younger self. The younger Anna in front of her has no one here. Her, or is it their, father is undeniably dead, just like mother. And Elsa...

"Elsa" She hears her younger self say to the snowflake nestled in small palms. "Don't leave me too. You promised, Elsa. You promised." Tears stream down the dirt-ridden freckled face of the child as she wills the snowflake to stop melting.

A sob escapes the older strawberry blonde as she watches her younger self cry. She remembers everything so clearly, even after all these years. The sight before her triggers those memories that she had tried so hard to bury inside her mind. She doesn't want to remember this. She doesn't want to remember the hell that she seemed to fall upon after that night when she had thought she lost everything.

"I'm okay, Anna. I'm alive." Elsa's voice says inside her head.

Hearing her sister's soft whisper jolts her back into the present. She's not the five-year old child who was lost to the world anymore. She didn't lose everything. Yes, she had lost a lot of things, lost a lot of people she loves that night but she has gained so much as well. She has grown, after everything she's been through, and she's grateful to everyone who has been there for her, who is still with her after all these years. The older Anna smiles and says, "Thank you, Elsa." She can feel her sister smile through their connection.

Lightening suddenly strikes the ground in front of the older Anna and she knows that her time is up.

"It's okay, Anna. I'll see you soon." Her sister's voice says reassuringly. She knows that they'll meet again in that same oblivion that they always end up in. It might take a while, it differs from time to time. Sometimes they meet the day after the last time. Other times it takes weeks, even months. She knows this and yet she just wishes that things are different.

"I know, Elsa." Anna says, sadness tingeing her every word. "I just wish we'll remember all of this after we wake up."

Another strike of lightning occurs and before everything disappears in a blur of light and dark, she hears a whisper. "Maybe this time we will."

* * *

A light brown-haired man is scurrying through the lavish halls of the palace, urgency is seen through his every movement. He has knocked over various servants, guards, and vases alike as he tries to hurry towards the throne room where he knows his lord is. His heart beating fast, knowing that the news he brings will please his sire. Reaching the hallway he has been running to, he stops to catch his breath and to compose himself in front of the doors to the throne room. The man behind the doors will surely slaughter him if he sees even a single hair out of place.

Breathing deeply, the messenger braces himself and opens the door after knocking. He walks towards the foot of the dais, kneeling in front of it. At the top of the platform are two thrones, one smaller than the other but not less regal. The larger houses a chestnut-haired man who seems to be annoyed at something only he is aware of while the other lies empty. Before the kneeling man can even utter a single word, a sword swings unto his neck at lightning speed, stopping only a few millimeters before decapitating him. The messenger nervously swallows, sweat forming on his brow as he looks up and finds the liquid mercury hues of his lord's eyes.

"You should know better by now, Ralf." The man tutted at him as he brings his sword ever closer to the neck that is already a hair's width away from the blade. If he moves the sword just a fraction more, he'd be able to draw out blood. "You may be one of my most trusted soldiers but you know the rules."

Ralf breathes deeply. His eyes showing nothing but fear. He has gravely made a mistake, a mistake that he should not have made considering how long he has served under his ruler. He immediately lowers his head as a sign of submission.

"I apologize for my insolence, my lord. I accept whatever punishment you deem worthy to befall on me for having neglected to acknowledge the princess." Ralf says with a mechanical voice. Fear will only incur more fury from his liege. He dares to sneak a glance at his side and true to his deduction, he finds a solitary form sitting beside his lord's precious pet. The form belonging to none other than the princess, his master's ward.

The princess does not give him any mind, continuing on stroking the form of the beast that his lord considers a pet. It nuzzles closer to her and Ralf can swear that he sees a fraction of a smile forming upon the princess' lips, or maybe the light is just playing tricks on his mind. The sword comes closer to his neck, tearing his flesh and drawing blood. The man before him is shaking his head as if Ralf is just a mere child being scolded by his parent.

"Eyes on me, Ralf. It's not polite to stare at a lady." His lord sneers at him, eyes glinting with unbridled fury.

Ralf bows his head again. "I apologize, my liege." He knows that he surely will be killed now. It was one thing to ignore the princess when she is in a room, usually the punishment for that is twenty lashes and thirty days in the dungeon. But to blatantly stare at her, he shudders at the horrifying punishments that his lord will surely bring upon him. That is if he does not kill him first.

"Tobias" A cool voice rings throughout the throne room. The man in question immediately looks up, giving his full attention to the bearer of the voice. The princess doesn't stop her stroking of the beast near her but she continues to speak, "Do you think they will come?"

Tobias' lips twitch, slowly forming into a smirk. He stares at the stoic princess, admiring her from her perch on the floor beside his pet. "Of course, they will. If not for curiosity then for stupidity." He mocks, his eyes rolling.

Ralf notices the princess' hand stopping mid-stroke, she looks up and gives attention to the scene playing in front of the dais. She retracts her hand and gracefully stands, walking towards where Tobias, and Ralf's kneeling self are. Upon reaching them, she glances down at the soldier and then to her warden. No emotion can be seen on her beautiful face. It has always been like that. After scrutinizing the two men, she turns and sits on her throne beside the one Tobias had sat on.

"Are you going to kill him?" The princess asks, her voice held a tinge of boredom but other than that there was nothing else that can be deciphered behind it.

Ralf inhales deeply. He knows that his liege will surely punish him for his mistakes but if the princess desires for his death then his head will be chopped off in a heartbeat. He looks up, eyes pleading and fearful at the girl sitting in front of him but the princess is not looking at him, or at his face to be precise. She is more preoccupied with staring at the blood dripping down his throat from the wound his lord had given him earlier.

The soldier does not understand how such a beautiful girl such as the princess can be entranced by the most gruesome of things. It seems to Ralf that his master's ward has a very morbid fascination upon things that are, for lack of better term, horrid such as his lord's pet and now the blood trickling down his neck. It seems strange to him, especially since he has a daughter the same age as her who he can swear will be mortified at seeing blood, but the princess has always been different, that he knows very well.

Suddenly, the sword upon the soldier's neck is immediately withdrawn as Tobias turns to stare at the princess. "How about you decide? Consider it a part of your training." The man says, placing his sword back in its sheath as he stalks off to his throne. He sits languidly and faces the princess, waiting for her response. She turns to look at Tobias, and tilts her head a bit.

"Why?" The princess asks, her brow rising in question.

Ralf wishes to exhale in relief but he knows that he is not safe just yet. The princess did not say that he will not be punished, she just asked why. She may spare his life or she might just as well end it. He can never know since the princess thinks very much like his lord at times. Like that instance when she cut off the hand of a young soldier in the training grounds. When she was asked why she did it, she nonchalantly said that she wanted to experience cutting off a limb of something that would scream as if she was telling what the weather was.

"Princess," Tobias says exasperated. "Ralf here disrespected you. You were in the room like I was but he only acknowledged me. And after that, he had the audacity to turn his eyes away from me to look at you. He disrespected me as well."

The kneeling man is frightened now. He might as well just draw his sword and slit his own throat. He knows no pleading will help him. He sighs and looks at his lord, accepting the fate that he knows will happen to him. He sees his sire smirking at him, malevolence gleaming in his eyes. "On second thought, mayb-"

"Leave us." The princess says authoritatively, leaving no room for arguments.

Ralf immediately turns to the princess, his eyes widening. No one who had interrupted his master talking before had lived to tell the tale but he knows full well of the fondness his sire has on the princess. The soldier hears his lord scoff in annoyance but other than that there seemed to be no malice in his demeanor. His master just looks intrigued. Tobias says nothing as he stands, walking off towards the doors of the throne room. He looks back one last time, his smile manic, and motions for his pet to follow. The beast stands and heads towards his master who opens the door. The two exit the throne room, leaving the princess and Ralf alone.

After the door closes, the princess stands and stalks towards the kneeling man. Crouching down in front of him, she inspects the wound on his neck. Ralf gets nervous at her close proximity, he had not been left alone with the princess before and this experience is nothing but jarring. He feels his throat dry up from the nerves rolling off of him.

"You have something to report to Tobias, don't you?" The princess asks breathily.

"Yes, your highness." Ralf nods his head tentatively. He looks up to see the princess' reaction but all she does is stare at him with that blank face she always has. He has never seen nor heard the princess laugh or smile before, not even sneer like his liege always does. Her face always remains stoic, no emotions, just like a mannequin.

A living marionette. A doll with long silky platinum blonde locks, they almost seem to be liquid silver. A face that all says belonging only to an angel's, fair and beautiful. And eyes so blue they resemble the arctic hues of winter. The Ice Princess, Ralf has heard many of the people working in the castle call her that. Before, he would just shrug the moniker off but now, staring at the princess so close to him, he can see why they gave her that name.

She is the embodiment of winter itself. Not to mention her not-so-secret powers over ice and snow will surely give anyone who knows about her magic the impression of her being the Ice Princess. Although not many people are aware of that fun fact, and Ralf only knows for he is part of The Phantoms, he has not yet seen the princess use her powers, not many have.

The princess reaches out her hand but instead of touching Ralf like he thought she will, she touches the floor in front of him. Absentmindedly drawing invisible patterns that the man does not understand using her index finger. Without looking up, the princess asks, "Care to tell me?"

The man gulps knowing that he has no choice but to indulge his princess' wish, less he truly incur his sire's wrath. But on the other hand, his lord had told him specifically that no one else should learn about his mission. He sighs, deciding to tell the princess what she wants to know. If his liege allowed him to speak earlier, the princess would have heard what he had to say anyway. She was, after all, in the room as well.

"I was tasked by Lord Tobias to acquire the location of something he deems is of vital importance." Ralf says steadily.

The princess hums an affirmation, silently asking him to continue as she traces patterns on the floor, seemingly more interested in the invisible shapes rather than what Ralf has to say. He breathes deeply, knowing that the princess wouldn't really give him her full attention so he continues speaking. "I have completed my task and came to report to my lord personally. He had been clear that I tell him at once if I have found their location."

"I see." The princess says quite distractedly. Silence permeated around them. Ralf looks nervous as the princess continues to ignore him. He'd rather she tell him that he'd die now in the most horrific of ways than endure this anticipation of the unknown.

"Tobias wants me to punish you. Do you think you deserve it?"

Ralf's eyes widen. He doesn't understand why the princess would ask him that. As a soldier, he only follows what his superiors tell him to do. Asking him this question is totally baffling for him. "Of course, your highness! Whatever punishment you believe should befall upon me for my crimes, I will endure to the best of my abilities!"

The princess looks at Ralf as he said this, her finger still making various patterns. After staring at the man for what felt like a long time, she nods her head as her finger stops its dance upon the floor. She stands and turns to leave. Ralf looks surprised but before he can ask why the princess is leaving, her voice rings around the room. "Your punishment is to stay in that position for the rest of the day. If you succeed, you will be pardoned for your crimes. Fail then you shall face a fate worse than death."

The man is shocked to hear that, it seems too light of a punishment for what he has done. To only stay kneeling in front of the dais is not something he thought of as a consequence for his actions. Too caught up in his own thoughts, he doesn't notice the floors in front of him begin to thicken with frost until it is crawling up his legs. His eyes widen and he suddenly realizes with a jolt that the princess will not make this easy for him after all. At the back of his mind, he notes that this will be the first time he will see first-hand the Ice Princess in all her glory.

"Don't worry, Ralf. I'll lend you all the help you need." As the princess says this, ice crawls up his feet, freezing him in place. He doesn't put up a fight knowing that the princess will only make this more painful for him if he does. He can feel the temperature of the room dropping rapidly but he tells himself to remain calm and accept whatever punishment he is being given. His lower half is immediately encased in solid ice, and he can feel himself shaking from the cold. He hears the princess walking behind him and the undeniable clicking of the lock to the throne room doors. It seems to him that the princess does not want to be disturbed.

Ralf hears her walking again, this time towards him. As the princess reaches his kneeling form, she stands in front of him. The soldier feels her hand grasping his chin, lifting his face up, and making him stare at the icy blue gems that are the princess' eyes. He suddenly feels himself being swallowed by them, like there was nothing else in the world besides those eyes. The cold inside the room becomes of no importance to him, his mind fogging up by something he cannot comprehend.

Suddenly, an ear-shattering scream fills the throne room. Ralf cringes at the sound, feeling his ears ringing from the loudness of it. He searches where the scream is coming from only to realize a second later that it was his voice who is screaming. He turns to look at his side, removing the hypnotic blue hues of the princess from his sight. The soldier immediately gasps in horror at what he sees. Both of his hands have been impaled by spikes of ice sprouting from the floors. One on each palm, and another on both of his forearms. There are four spikes impaling him and looking down, he notices two more springing forth, moving towards his shoulders.

"If you pass out, your life is forfeit. Okay, Ralf?" The princess says as she stares at the dripping blood from the man's wounds. The soldier tries to nod but the pain he is feeling is making it difficult for him to do so. The freezing cold temperature not helping him one bit. Unexpectedly, the princess slaps him forcefully when she doesn't hear or see him reply. His body reels from the force of the slap. He silently thanks the ice keeping him in place or else he would have lost his balance from the strength of the slap that had hit him.

"Answer me."

Ralf is terrified, he hasn't seen the princess act or even speak like this before. She has always been so unattached, even when his lord is slaughtering people before her. But now, there seems to be a gleam in her eyes, something that he has only seen in one other person before, his master. He has always thought that Lord Tobias is a frightening sight to behold but seeing the princess before her, calling her the Ice Princess is too tame a name.

"... Yes..." The man manages to whisper out. He doesn't understand how he can be this weak already. He knows that his blood is freely flowing down his wounds, and he is losing a lot of it but he had fought many battles. Ten deep slashes, burn wounds, and cracked ribs had not stopped him before so four pierces won't do much either. The cold is only intensifying his pain thus making him fight for his consciousness. He realizes that it's his energy that is the problem, it's waning out. He doesn't understand but it seems to him that his being, his life force not just his blood, is being sucked out of him.

"Yes who, Ralf? You should speak more clearly." The princess says as she walks over to her throne and sits upon it. Immediately, ice covers the entirety of it and morphs the throne into something more fitting for the princess sitting in front of Ralf. He can now see someone who truly is the successor of his master - cold, deathly, merciless, soulless.

"Yes, Princess Elsa."

* * *

A loud snore echoes around the bedroom walls as a bundled form shifts around the large bed. Strawberry blonde hair is sticking out from under the sheets, as drool drips down the sleeping girl's chin. She continues to drift in the planes of the dream world, experiencing something only her unconscious mind is aware of. Two loud knocks are suddenly heard resounding around the room as a feminine voice calls out, "Firefly? You awake, Anna?"

Anna immediately sits up. Her hair sticking whichever way it pleases, like a wild bird's nest on her head. Some of it even going inside her mouth, making her cough. Snorting, she pulls the hair out from her mouth as she addresses the voice behind her bedroom door. "... Hmmm? Yeah?"

A giggle is heard through the doors and Anna wonders who it belongs to. Her sleep induced mind is making it hard for her to put a name to the voice she is hearing. "Sorry to wake you, firefly b-" The voice says but the girl immediately interrupts saying, "No, you didn't. I've been up for hours."

Anna yawns, falling back to sleep while sitting upright in her bed. Her mind is telling her that she just had a very important dream but she can't remember any of it. Maybe if she sleeps again, she'll be able to recall what was so important. Agreeing with her foggy mind, she accepts the call of the dream world. As she succumbs to the melodic calls of sleep, her head suddenly drops. The force startling her awake and telling her that there is someone outside her door. "Who is it?"

"It's still me, firefly! Time to get ready!" The voice says excitedly. Anna can swear that she hears squealing coming from behind the door. "Ready for what?"

Loud huffs and mutters are whispered on the other side of the door. After a beat of silence, incessant banging is suddenly heard. The strawberry blonde jumps with a start from the loud sound, making her fall off her bed. The resounding thump makes the banging stop and a concerned voice immediately asks, "Are you okay, firefly?"

The fall seems to unfreeze the clogs inside the girl's mind and she immediately brings herself up. Walking hurriedly towards her bedroom door, she opens them and sees a short-haired brunette with what seems to be a small green chameleon perched on her right shoulder. Anna grins at the girl, waving her hand in greeting but her arms stretch out of her, unwinding the kinks she has due to sleep. Yawning as she says, "Mornin', Rapunzel." When her stretch and yawn are done, she reaches out to pet the chameleon on the girl's shoulder. "You too, Pascal."

Rapunzel giggles as she sees the younger girl with a very serious case of bed head and what seems to be remnants of drool on her chin. She shakes her head and pushes Anna back into her room, closing the door behind them. Anna lets the older girl lead her back to her bed, too caught up with something that her mind is trying to tell her. Rapunzel makes the younger girl sit back on her bed, as she plops next to her. Pascal perfectly content with being perched on Rapunzel's shoulder.

Anna feels like it's going to be one of those days again, one of those days when the past that she tries so hard not to think about comes to haunt her. One of those days when all she can think about is how she misses the life she had once upon a time. One of those days when the memory of platinum blonde locks and icy blue eyes tears an even bigger hole in her slowly mending heart.

It's been years but she still hopes. She hopes, that after everything, after all these years, her sister is safe. Hopes that her sister has found a family like she has. Hopes that her sister still thinks about her, still remembers her. Hopes that one day, one day soon, she'll find her sister or her sister finds her. That's all she's holding on to - hope.

Anna shakes her head, trying to make herself forget about the heartache that is still within her very being even after the thirteen years that had passed. She tries to make herself think about something else, something that won't result in her crying first thing in the morning. And now that she's trying to scour her mind with something to think about, she remembers that there's something happening today. She knows that there's a very important event today but she can't seem to remember what it is. Her face scrunches up in concentration, making Rapunzel notice the contemplative face Anna has.

"The orphanage's opening."

"The sausages' opening?" Anna asks dumbly. Her mind, that is still caught up with thoughts of the past, doesn't pick up what the other girl had said. She doesn't understand how opening sausages equates to anything happening today. Rapunzel just fondly shakes her head again as Pascal follows along with her. Anna looks at them, eyes shining with curiosity, happy that she has something to occupy her mind with rather than the past.

"Firefly, today's the opening ceremony for the orphanage." The brunette says as slowly and clearly as she can, thinking that Anna is still too sleepy to comprehend what she is saying. Anna's eyes immediately widen after hearing the words. "The orphanage's opening!" She says, bolting out from her bed and staring at the older girl. This is the day she has been excited about since the beginning of the month. A full-blown smile immediately springs upon her lips, her blue eyes glinting brighter from excitement. The memories from long ago is locked at the back of her mind again where she wishes they stay forever.

Anna tackles Rapunzel in a hug, making them both fall into the bed. Pascal flying off the brunette's shoulder and landing on the floor. They both giggle upon reaching the soft surface of the mattress as the huffing chameleon climbs the foot of the bed, shaking his head at the two girls.

The strawberry blonde is the first one to notice Pascal giving them a very disapproving look. She sheepishly smiles at him and picks him up, putting him between herself and Rapunzel. She pets the pouting chameleon, as an apologetic grin forms on her lips. "I'm sorry, Pascal! I was just so excited!"

Pascal nods, accepting her apology and smiles at her. Anna's grin widens and she falls on her back upon the bed as Rapunzel stops her giggling and pets Pascal in apology as well. He smiles and wobbles off to the older girl's stomach, happily content with just lying there.

Rapunzel bumps her shoulder with the younger girl to catch her attention. Anna turns to her side, silently asking the other girl what she wants. The older girl smiles at her and she smiles back. Anna enjoys moments like this, moments when she can just have fun in the presence of another person. Experiencing comfort from knowing she isn't alone, and she never will be.

"You really should get ready, you know?" Rapunzel says seriously.

That makes Anna jump off her bed with a start. She needs to get ready, it's the opening of the orphanage. Panic can be clearly seen in her frantic actions. She doesn't know what to do first, should she brush her hair or change clothes? Does she need to bathe? Does she smell? She subtly tries to get a whiff of what she smells like when she suddenly hears giggling. She turns to see the older girl laughing at her. The younger girl's lips twitch, slowly forming into a devious smirk.

"So you think this is funny, huh?" Anna says, an evil glint forming in her eyes. Rapunzel's emerald orbs immediately widen in fear, shaking her head no at the advancing girl before her. Pascal hurriedly scurries off to sit on the bedside table, not wanting to fall off the bed again. Before Rapunzel can even think about running off the bed, Anna pounces on top of her and starts tickling the brunette. The younger girl laughs along as Rapunzel squirms beneath her, the older girl laughing uncontrollably from the unforgiving hands tickling her sides.

The strawberry blonde wonders if this is what it would be like if she and her sister didn't get separated, if everything didn't happen. Will they be this close like when they were children? Or would they be like those other siblings who get annoyed at one another and yet love each other all the same?

Anna's hands immediately stop their movement, the laughs below her slowly dying out. Rapunzel looks up once she gets her giggling under control and sees sadness clouding the electric blue eyes of the girl who was just so carefree a moment ago. "Firefly?"

The voice shakes Anna from her stupor yet her eyes stay glassy as she turns to look at the concerned girl staring at her. The younger girl tries to give off a smile but ends up grimacing instead. She bites her lip, trying to control the feelings suddenly overwhelming her. Her right hand leaves the other girl's side as it reaches up to touch her pendant. Bringing it out from under her night-shirt, she holds what seems to be a fraction of what used to be a very beautiful snowflake. She clutches on to it tightly as tears form in her eyes.

Before Rapunzel can even reach out to hold Anna, the younger girl latches herself unto the brunette, tears streaming down her face as sobs rack across her body. The dam she built to hold her emotions at bay bursting out and consuming her whole being. The older girl just lies there, letting Anna cry unto her shoulder as she hums the lullaby that Eugene taught her, knowing that it will help calm the younger girl down.

"It's okay, firefly. Don't cry, Anna."

Hearing Rapunzel say those words only makes Anna cry even harder. Her sister used to say those words to her. Her sister used to sing this lullaby to her. She tells herself not to cry, tells herself that it was still too early for all this drama but her body, her heart is not listening to her mind. She feels that hollowness creeping from inside of her again, moving across her body until all she can feel is that emptiness, that yearning, that longing.

"Where are you, Elsa? I miss you so much..."

* * *

A cloaked figure is running along the forest, turning around every once in a while to see if he can find the location of his pursuer. He hears the sound of leaves rustling behind him, making him run faster. His stalker is hot on his trail. Suddenly, the unmistakable sound of an arrow being shot is heard. He ducks just in time for the arrow to fly above his head and hit a nearby tree trunk. Not halting in his tracks, he runs through the dense forest, using the trees as a shield for when the archer attacks again.

He moves through the forest in a calculated way. He knows this forest like the back of his hand and uses this to his advantage. The hooded figure weaves around the trees as if he has been doing this all his life, using the trunks and branches to propel him faster in his sprint to shake off his pursuer. But he can feel the archer still following him. Two more arrows are shot but the man hides behind a tree before they hit him. Deciding that he is done running, he moves towards a place that he knows will surely give him some leverage against his attacker.

He moves past the tree lines, bolting as fast as he can to the familiar trees that he knows so well. Weaving pass a hollowed trunk, he leaves the dense forest and finds himself in a small clearing. He stands in the middle of it and waits for his pursuer to arrive. He hears his attacker stopping his advance, climbing up the trees, and using the shadows from the tree tops as an advantage against the hooded figure.

An arrow is again shot from out of nowhere but the figure in the clearing anticipates this and moves a fraction to his right, narrowly escaping the arrow from hitting his torso. He notices that the arrow is made of something akin to glass. Smirking, he spreads his cloak wide, exposing two belts. One holds numerous daggers, all sharp and glinting from the sunlight falling upon the clearing. The other has two blades holstered on it, on the left is a long sword and on the right is a short sword. He takes two daggers from his belt, and throws them at the direction where the arrow was shot.

He sees his pursuer jump, avoiding the blades from hitting him. Before the archer reaches the branch he was aiming for though, the cloaked man throws another dagger at him. Seeing the blade coming his way, the archer twists his body mid-jump, holding tightly to the arrows upon his belt quiver to keep them from falling, making the blade miss its target. He uses his bow to reach out and take purchase of the branch above his head. Swinging, the archer uses his momentum to throw himself to another branch and perch himself safely on top of it.

Now standing in a new branch, the man takes hold of his bow, gets an arrow from his quiver, and aims. The hooded figure takes out his swords, the long sword he holds on his right while the short sword on his left. He twirls them about, taunting his attacker to give him the best he's got. An arrow is shot, flying towards the figure's head. He does not move until the arrow is only a few inches away from hitting its mark. Using the long sword, he cuts the arrow down in a fluid movement, making it shatter into a million pieces. Before the hooded man can relax though, another arrow flies towards him. He cuts it down just as easily as the first one.

The barrage of arrows start, like raindrops falling from the heavens but the hooded man breaks down each and every arrow heading his way. He moves his blades as if in a dance, cutting everything as gracefully as a swan flies, a very deadly swan. The onslaught of arrows suddenly stop though and he sees that his attacker does not have any arrows left. He waves his left hand and immediately throws out the short sword he's holding. Before the archer can even react, the end of the branch he is perched on freezes into solid ice and the flying blade is aimed towards it, shattering the frozen branch easily.

A high-pitched squeal is yelled as the archer falls down from his perch. He braces himself for impact on the ground but it doesn't happen. He lands in soft flurries of snow, with the cloaked figure a few feet away from him. He grunts in annoyance and since he fell from the shadows of the trees into the lighted part of the clearing, one can now see that the archer is a girl with wild fiery red hair.

The man before her giggles and takes out his hood, exposing a girl with platinum blonde locks and eyes resembling the blue hues of frozen water, twinkling with mirth. She extends her hand to the redhead still lying down on the snow, a smile on her face. Huffing, the archer takes the offered hand and pulls herself up.

"That's not fair, Elsa! I could have gotten hurt!" The girl says with a thick accent, pouting as she removes the snow clinging on to her clothes. Hearing that made the older girl stop giggling, concern flashing in her eyes. Her right hand reaching out to touch the younger girl but she retracts it immediately, pulling it close to herself.

"D-did I hurt you?" Elsa's voice trembles lightly. She fears that she might have hurt the younger girl with her powers and scolds herself for even thinking about cutting the branch Merida was standing on. She knows that she used her powers to cushion the younger girl's fall but even then she could have been hurt. Maybe she is hurt. Her eyes look frantically at the girl before her, worry etching itself on her face.

Merida sees the older girl starting to panic. She reaches out to touch Elsa's arm. The older girl flinches from the contact, trying to pull away from the hold the younger girl has on her but Merida's grip is firm. Elsa looks at the girl questioningly, silently asking her to let go but the other girl just smiles at her and pulls her close. Relenting, Elsa lets Merida pull herself into a hug. "I'm not hurt, Elsa. You didn't hurt me, I was just joking."

The older girl exhales a breath of relief and relaxes into the hug, pulling the shorter girl closer to herself. "Please don't do that, you know how I feel about... You know..." She whispers softly as she pulls away from the hug to examine the younger girl more closely, checking if she truly is without injury.

"Powers"

"Excuse me, what?" Elsa asks with a dumbfounded expression, not understanding what Merida meant by saying that. "Your powers. You can say the words, Elsa. They're not taboo." The younger girl says as she picks up her bow from the snow that Elsa made to soften her fall, slings it on her shoulder, and looks expectantly at the other girl.

The platinum blonde nods her head and breathes deeply. "Powers" She says, closing her eyes as if uttering the words will suddenly make her magic go awry. After a beat, she opens her eyes to see the amused look Merida is giving her. She raises her eyebrow in silent question but the amused look on the girl's face morphs into a mischievous grin.

Out of nowhere, a snowball is thrown at Elsa's face. Her eyes widen in shock at being pelted with snow. When the shock finally dies down, she turns to look at the redhead, only to find Merida already chortling and running off towards the way they came. The older girl smiles and gives chase to the cackling girl. She brings her hands above her head, using her magic to form a giant snowball, or better yet a snow boulder. Once she feels that the snow is big enough, she throws it to the younger girl in front of her.

Merida gets hit by the huge amount of snow, making her lose her balance and trip. Her falling makes Elsa worried again and runs faster towards the younger girl. Reaching her, she sees that she isn't hurt and is still laughing really hard. A giggle escapes the older girl who bursts out into full-blown laughter as well. The two girls laughing with each other at the fun they just had.

Getting the giggles under control, Elsa looks down at the girl lying in the snow. Seeing her like this, seeing Merida laughing with snow around her makes the platinum blonde remember something, or more specifically someone - Anna. Elsa remembers how her little sister loves playing in her snow, playing with her magic. She remembers how they used to play pranks on the castle staff or how they just lie in the piles of snow when the summer heat gets too hot for them.

She used to think that those days would last forever. But then, that night happened, the night when Arendelle got attacked. The night they lost their parents and then each other. She wonders how her sister is doing, if she's okay and if she's eating well. She wonders about what she looks like now, she must have grown after all. Does she still keep her hair in pig tails or does she leave it be? Or maybe she cropped it short? All these questions and no answers.

A tinge of sadness crosses the older girl's face. This does not go unnoticed by the younger girl, especially since she can see snowflakes slowly forming around the older girl's body. Merida stands, catching Elsa's attention, and smiles at the other girl. Elsa smiles back, pulling herself away from the dangerous thoughts she was having, and reeling back her powers.

"Let's go up Crone's Tooth!"

* * *

The clicking of boots echo around the empty hallway, as a scar-faced man stalks along the floor. He walks purposely, determined to find the person he is looking for. As he opens the first door that is in the hallway, he smirks knowing that this is where the staff had told him the girl should be. Entering the study, he sees the unmistakable platinum blonde hair of the princess sitting by the windowsill, overlooking the palace yard. He closes the door with a bang and moves to inspect the various trinkets lining the shelves closest to the door. The princess turns at the sudden intrusion but seeing who it was that entered the study, she looks out the window again.

"Where is he?" He asks, silent anger bubbling beneath his words. The man turns sharply and stares at the princess pointedly. Still, she does not give him any mind. This makes him even more furious. He stalks over to the princess and pulls her away from the window, gripping her left wrist firmly. Using his free hand, he takes hold of the princess' neck, choking her slightly and bringing her closer to his face.

"Where is Ralf, Elsa?" He asks again, silver eyes darkening with each passing moment. The girl just looks back at him with a blankness on her face. The man sees this as defiance and backhands the princess, tightening the grip on her neck to keep her in place. The blow makes her teeth gnash, cutting her upper lip. Blood immediately dripping down her chin. "Answer me!"

"Dead" Elsa whispers silently but it seems that the man heard her as white-hot fury crosses his face, morphing it into that of a wild beast's. He slaps her again, more forcefully this time, and throws her to the floor. His hands shaking, itching to take the sword holstered on his waist and using it against the worthless girl beneath him.

The princess gracefully picks herself up, as if she wasn't just slapped and thrown like a piece of paper. She wipes the blood dripping down her lips with the back of her hand and looks at the man before her with the same emotionless face she always has. The man grits his teeth at this, he snarls as he questions the princess again. "How did you kill him?"

"I froze him." She answers without missing a beat. He raises his eyebrow in question, the anger within his eyes seemingly simmering down from what she said. The princess continues, "I put him in the gallery. I thought you'd want another sculpture, Tobias."

Tobias laughs, not a hearty laugh that most men do but a maniacal one. A malicious smirk forms upon his lips, the fury within his mercurial hues dying out to give way to pride and madness. "And here I thought you'd just use him as a dart board. Excellent job, princess." He says with a hint of fondness, his earlier anger seemingly forgotten.

The man moves to one of the chairs littering around the study and sits on it. Crossing his legs, he motions for the princess to do the same. Elsa walks to the chair next to the man and sits as well. "First thing's first," The man says, smirking at the princess next to him. "The servants told me that the invitations would be arriving today. We expect to get replies by next week. The tailor will arrive two days from now to get your measurements." Elsa nods obediently.

This pleases the psychotic man. Obedience is something he holds into high account, next to fear. He leans forward, bringing both his feet down and resting his elbows on his knees, scrutinizing the princess before him. "Did you ask Ralf what he wanted before you froze him?"

"Yes," The princess says tentatively. Not hearing the man tell her to stop, she continues. "He says that he had found whatever it is you had him search for." Tobias grunts at this. His demeanor immediately turning into that of annoyance.

"Did he tell you the location?" He asks, irritation coating his words. The princess shakes her head no, making the man scoff. "That imbecile, if he didn't annoy me, I would have found those good-for-noth..." He trails off, muttering obscenities under his breath.

"Who is he looking for anyway?" Elsa asks, her cool voice pulling Tobias away from his angry rant. He just smirks at her, eyes glinting with malicious mischief. "That's something that only I should know, my sweet little princess." He taunts her but she just shrugs the comment off.

Tobias looks at the princess before her. Her upper lip has a cut from the slap he gave her earlier. Her right cheek slowly forming a bruise from the force he used to hit her. Her neck having an angry imprint of his hand from when he was choking her. He knows that these marks on her once flawless skin will immediately fade, they always do, but seeing them makes him smirk. It is exhilarating for him to see the princess like this, bruised and wounded. Yet she just sits there like nothing's wrong, and that makes it even more delicious for him.

He shakes himself off of his demented musings and turns to continue the conversation he is having with the princess. "You didn't just freeze him, that would be too boring." Tobias suddenly says knowingly and seeing the princess shake her head in the negative, makes him grin evilly. "You tortured him."

"Yes" The princess answers even though the man did not ask a question. This makes Tobias laugh again, his malevolent side enjoying the fact that the princess has done something so evil. The feats she has accomplished before were nothing note worthy. Cutting off a hand is child's play, and killing someone right off the bat is just too anti-climatic. Torture though, that is an art in and of itself. "Did you enjoy it?"

"Yes... And I want to do it again."

* * *

Children's laughter echoes around the large hall as a freckled-faced girl looks at the scene playing before her with happiness in her lightning blue eyes. The children are playing and having a good time, each one of them bearing a smile on their innocent faces. She's happy that she can at least share something with these children, children who are a lot like her - an orphan.

"Anna!" A gruff voice exclaims, startling the girl. She turns to see a blond muscular guy walking towards her. She grins, waving excitedly. "Kristoff! You're here!"

Kristoff reaches the girl and picks her up in a hug, twirling her in his arms. Anna giggles at the greeting, happy that her friend finally arrived. The guy puts her down after another twirl, grinning at the girl widely. "I wouldn't miss this for anything!"

This makes Anna smile. Kristoff is her best friend. They've been friends ever since the incident, they've been through a lot together, and they've always got each other's back. Anna knows that she can trust Kristoff no matter what.

"So, what did I miss?" The guy asks, his eyes scanning the crowd. Anna giggles, knowing what, or who his blond friend is looking for. "You didn't miss much. She's not here yet." She says with a smirk. Kristoff's eyes widen comically. Turning frantically to the girl beside him, he shakes his head in denial. "I'm not looking for anyone!"

Anna chuckles, patting the guy on his back. "Keep telling yourself that. You so have a crush on her!" She teases Kristoff. His face immediately reddening with a blush.

"Who does Krissy have a crush on?" A voice suddenly says behind the two, making them jump in surprise. Turning, the two friends see a dark brown-haired guy with a goatee and a smirk on his face. "Don't scare us like that, Eugene!" Anna says, slapping the guy on his shoulder.

Eugene chuckles at this. "That's kind of what big brothers do, kiddo." He says ruffling Anna's hair. He then pulls Kristoff under his arm and rubs his knuckles on his head. Kristoff tries pushing the older guy from himself but failing miserably. Eugene releases Kristoff, as the blond huffs and gives his best to fix his hair.

"Who's Kristoff's crush?" Eugene asks again. Anna laughs as Kristoff immediately reaches out to cover her mouth. The girl ducks, escaping the hand trying to muffle her. She runs, giggling wildly as Kristoff runs after her. Eugene just shakes his head at his two siblings.

Anna runs around the hall as Kristoff gives pursuit. She dodges the many guests littering around the room, as well as the children who are coming after her thinking that she is playing a game of chase. She rounds the room once and sees Eugene again, running towards him at full speed.

Eugene's eyes widen in fear, seeing the girl running towards him. A short-haired brunette comes from out of nowhere and places herself between them. Anna tries to stop, bracing herself from the impending impact as the two collide. The two girls immediately lose their balance and fall in a heap on the floor.

Kristoff sees this and tries to subtly run away from the disaster that he knows is waiting to happen. A hand reaches out to hold his collar, stopping him from escaping. Looking at his captor, he sees Eugene with his brow raised. He huffs in defeat and waits for whatever hell he's going to endure this time.

Anna tries to bring herself up, the collision didn't seem to leave her with any bruises. She pulls herself off of the groaning girl below her who seems to be wincing in pain. "I am so sorry, Rapunzel! I was just running away from Kristoff because of his crush but I didn't mean to crash on you! It was an accident, I swear!" She says frantically.

Rapunzel just laughs at the girl on top of her, shaking her head at the hilariousness of the situation. "It's okay, Anna. I'm okay. Could you just, maybe, get off of me now, please?" Hearing this, Anna immediately jumps up and reaches her hand out to help the other girl to her feet.

When the two are finally standing, Eugene pulls Kristoff towards them. The younger guy smiling sheepishly at the two. Anna squints her eyes at him in mock annoyance which makes him grin wider. Eugene goes to Rapunzel and checks if she's okay but she just smiles at him and pecks his cheek, making the older guy blush lightly.

Anna coughs, getting the attention of the two. They turn and look at the strawberry blonde sheepishly. She just laughs at the lovebirds, shaking her head. She then notices an envelope on the floor where Rapunzel and her fell over. She bends down and picks it up, looking at it curiously.

Immediately, Rapunzel snatches it away from her. Waving it mockingly in front of the girl. Anna's curiosity is piqued and she tries to take it back but Rapunzel pulls away before she gets it. "Come on, Rapunzel! What's with the envelope?"

This gets the attention of the two guys with them as well. Laughing, the brunette stops playing with Anna and lets her take the envelope from her. The three all look at the girl as she opens the envelope hurriedly and takes out what seems to be an invitation card, bringing it close to her face. Expectant looks turn into puzzled ones after Anna doesn't do her customary squeal and jump of excitement from an invitation.

Kristoff ventures closer to the girl and weakly pokes her side. Anna takes down her hands that she held up to help read the invitation and loses the grip she has on the envelope and card. Her eyes wide and haunting. Before Kristoff can even ask what the problem is, darkness consumes her vision and she falls unconscious to the floor.

* * *

A horse with two riders arrives at the castle stables. They get off the horse with ease. The younger of the two leads him to his stall as the other is taking down their stuff from his back.

"I'm starving. You hungry too, Angus?" The redhead leading the horse asks. Moving to his back to push him faster to his stall, the horse strikes her with its tail, making the girl's companion giggle with mirth. Sputtering, the younger girl playfully slaps the horse's behind and takes a bucket full of oats. "Oats, it is then." She says, placing the contents of the bucket in the feeder.

Once she was done, she turns to take the bow from the older girl and smiles. "You should make me more of those ice arrows, Elsa." The older girl nods her head. "I will. I'll give them to you as soon as I finish them, Merida." She says to the younger girl who nods her head, a fond smile upon her lips.

The two trudge into the back door of the kitchen. The staff greeting them both happily. Elsa greets them back while Merida rushes over to a plate full of pies and takes the lot. Shaking her head, Elsa pushes the younger girl into the direction of the dining hall. They can hear a loud voice booming from the inside, making the both of them grin as they enter the hall.

"From nowhere, the biggest bear you've ever seen appears! His hide littered with the weapons of fallen warriors - his face scarred with one dead eye! I drew my sword, and -"

Merida jumps in and interrupts the burly man telling the story. "Whoosh! One swipe, his sword shattered, then, chomp! Dad's leg was clean off! Down the monster's throat it went."

Merida's father whines at her interruption. "Aww, that's my favorite part!" Elsa just smiles at this, inclining her head in greeting to the other adult occupying the table as she sits down beside her. The woman smiles at the gesture although she looks distracted from all the paperwork littering her place in the table.

The redheaded girl continues her story, looking at the triplets who are waiting for what happens next. "Then zoom! A giant ice wall emerges from the ground, pushing the beast back!" As she says this, she looks fondly at Elsa who smiles back at her. The triplets clap excitedly, knowing that it was the platinum haired girl who summoned the wall of ice.

"Mor'du has never been seen since. And he's roaming the wild, awaiting his chance for revenge." Merida ends her tale with a roar, putting her bow down on the table.

"Let him return." Her father says confidently, "I'll finish what I gobbled in the first place -" The woman at the other side of the table interrupts the man from finishing. "Merida, a princess does not place her weapons on the table."

The princess huffs in exasperation. "Mum, it's just my bow." She picks up her bow and slings it to her seat. Rolling her eyes at her mother as Elsa pointedly looks at her. She brings out her tongue, taunting the older girl who just shakes her head at the younger girl's silliness.

"Princesses should not have weaponry in my opinion." Her mother says, looking at not only Merida but also at Elsa. They both respond with sheepish smiles until the king says, "Let them be! Princesses or not, learning to fight is essential." The queen just shakes her head and continues reading the documents in front of her.

"Mum, you'll never guess what we did today!" Merida says excitedly. Her mother absentmindedly gives a sound of affirmation, making the girl continue her story. "We climbed Crone's Tooth and drank from the Fire Falls!"

The triplets look at the two girls in front of them with awe, Elsa giggling a bit from their expressions. "Fire Falls?" The king says with pride for the two girls coating his voice. "They say only the ancient kings were brave enough to drink the fire."

Merida giggles at this as Elsa smiles proudly. A servant appears, handing over three letters to the queen. "Thank you, Maudie." She says to the woman. The servant immediately leaves after that.

Distractedly, the queen asks, "What did the two of you do, dear?" Huffing in irritation, Merida murmurs, "Nothing, mum." Elsa just looks at the two, wishing that she could do something for the both of them. She doesn't like it when Merida looks so dejected when her mother seems to brush her off. Elsa knows that the older woman loves Merida very much, she's just preoccupied at times with running the kingdom. Lost in her thoughts, Elsa begins to put food on her plate.

"Hungry aren't we?" The queen suddenly says referring to the pile of pies on the plate Merida brought from the kitchen. The younger girl groans. "Mum!" But her mother just continues as if she didn't hear Merida interrupt. "You'll get dreadful collywobbles."

The queen turns to her husband. "Oh, Fergus! Will you look at your daughter's plate? Not Elsa's, she acts like a princess." This receives another groan from Merida while Elsa shoots the younger girl an apologetic smile. Fergus halts himself from taking a bite from his large pile of food to look at Merida's plate in question. Shrugging, he just shoves the food he has in his mouth and continues as if his wife didn't say anything.

Merida takes her plate and motions for the boys. They look at her expectedly and she offers the plate to them. Elsa shakes her head, knowing what the younger girl is doing but Merida doesn't give her any mind. She slides the plate below the table and the boys immediately go after it.

Merida then turns towards the older girl as Elsa offers a grape from her plate to the younger girl. Merida immediately plucks it off from her fingers and pop it into her mouth. Smiling, the older girl moves her plate between the two of them to share.

Suddenly, the queen exclaims excitedly and motions to the letters in her hands. She looks up at her husband saying, "Fergus, they've all accepted. The -" Before the queen finishes what she was saying though, Maudie arrives again with another envelope in her hands, handing it over to the queen. The queen takes the offered envelope and opens it curiously.

She takes out the card inside of it and reads silently. Gasping, she turns to look at Elsa who was already watching the queen since she spoke earlier. "Boys, you are excused." She says to the triplets. The three hurriedly move under the table and off to the door, their clothes filled with pies. One of them even tripping and letting his hidden loot be seen by all.

Shaking her head at her children's antics, the queen turns her gaze again to Elsa, concern filling her eyes. "I think you should read this, lass." She hands over the invitation to the platinum blonde who takes it with trepidation. Reading it over, her heart sinks at the first five lines she sees.

**_The Kingdom of Arendelle_**  
**_Cordially invites the presence_**  
**_Of Your Highness and his kin_**  
**_To the month-long celebration_**  
**_Of Princess Elsa's Coronation_**


	3. The Strategy

**Author's Note: **I am so sorry for only updating now. This chapter was being difficult and didn't want to be written. I would also like to apologize for the confusion in the last chapter. Yes, there are two Elsas. One in DunBroch where Merida is and the other is in Arendelle. And Anna is of course, in Corona. Thank you to all those that have reviewed, followed, and favorite-d. All mistakes are still my fault so I deeply apologize for those as well.

**Warnings:** None that I can think of for this chapter.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own the characters found in this story in any way, shape, or form; and are only borrowing them for this work of fiction. All rights belong to their respective owners and I gain no profit in writing this story.

* * *

**The Promise**

**Chapter III: The Strategy**

* * *

A whispered sound rings around the open clearing as a figure leans back on the trunk of a giant tree. Her hair falls freely down her shoulders, making a silver curtain to hide her face. Her arms wrap around her huddled knees, curling herself into a ball as she continues humming a mournful tune to the wind. Her arctic blue eyes are glassy, looking into something only she can see. She breathes deeply and her voice sighs a gentle lullaby.

_"Why does the willow weep?_  
_For the snowflake that's adrift_  
_Melts as it falls asleep_  
_In gentle air that lifts."_

The girl curls tighter into herself, hiding her being from whatever phantom horrors her mind is conjuring. A light frost starts to form on the grass below her and yet she doesn't notice any of this. She continues singing, oblivious to anything around her. Too lost inside her own mind to care.

_"Why does the willow mourn?_  
_For the crocus that still blooms_  
_Grows in the earth of scorn_  
_In winter wind that looms."_

She exhales the last words with sadness drenched into them. A single tear falls, rolling down her left cheek. And that seems to break the dam holding her emotions at bay as a sob escapes her lips. Tears fall endlessly down her cheeks as she stares unseeingly before her. She looks broken, like a part of her is aching and nothing can make her feel right again.

The cracking of a twig beside her does not register in her mind but the gentle hand that suddenly rests on her right shoulder does. She slowly looks up to see a bear of a man giving her a tentative smile. The girl tries to give a smile as well but fails when all she does is grimace, a pained frown on her lips. The man sits beside her, not minding the frosted grass. He wraps his massive arms around the girl and brings her close to his chest. He doesn't say anything and for that she's grateful.

The girl curls herself into the man, letting herself feel the sadness and longing that she has kept inside herself for too long. Her sobs wrack around her body as the man holds her tighter. Her tears drenching the man's clothes as a light snowfall starts around them. The temperature drops, in tune with the girl's sadness, as an icy but soothing breeze blows towards the two.

After a while, her sobs slowly ends. She lightly rests atop the man comforting her as she breathes deeply, calming herself. She brings her hands to wipe the tracks of tears on her cheeks, looking up at the man with a shy smile. The falling snow ends with the last of her tears, the cool breeze stops with the end of her sobs, and the temperature rises again to a more comfortable level.

"Thank you, King Fergus." She whispers lowly. The king gives a mighty laugh as he envelops the girl in a tight hug. "None of that King Fergus business, my wee lamb. I told ya before and I'll tell it again. We are your family, Elsa. Best to remember that." He says as he lightly kisses her nose, a large smile on his face.

Elsa blushes and looks down. Even after all these years with living in the company of the royal family of DunBroch, she still sees herself as an outsider. She can't seem to cut the habit of addressing the family with their titles. And she sometimes needs someone to remind her that she is a part of their family, not just the orphan they took in all those years ago. She's glad that they don't get tired of correcting her when she forgets. "I'm sorry, dad."

This makes the man smile wider, an infectious smile that Elsa can't help but reciprocate. "Now that's my darling daughter." He hugs her again, making the girl giggle at the gesture. She rests her head on the man's shoulder and sighs. Her mind suddenly replays what had been eating at her since before her dad showed up.

"None of that, lass." The king sternly scolds the girl. She looks up to see concern with a tinge of hurt swirling inside the man's blue orbs. "I know you're confused, Elsa. And me and your mum know that ya need your space from time to time. But did ya really need to run off like that? We were worried sick, lass."

Shame paints the girl's face, her mind remembering what happened a few minutes ago. After the queen, no, after her mum handed over the invitation to her and she read over the words elegantly scrawled on the small piece of paper, it felt as if her whole world was crumbling beneath her feet. All she felt was confusion and longing. Confusion for what the invitation meant by saying a month-long celebration will be held in two weeks time for someone whose name is the same as hers. And longing, longing for the sister she knows will be attending the coronation without fail. She can't seem to shrug off that longing for her younger sibling, even after thirteen years.

Elsa did what she thought was best at the time - she fled. She ran out the dining hall, not hearing the shouts of the people calling for her to come back. She just needed to get out, to sort out her mind. She needed to be alone. She knows how unstable her powers can be, especially when she's shaken up. She couldn't risk anyone being hurt. So she ran to the only place that seems to calm her down, the clearing where she and Merida practiced earlier that day.

Elsa doesn't know what was in the clearing but it's the only place that seems to draw her in. There's a tranquility in it that seems to resonate within her very soul. And her powers usually don't go awry here. She can cry her eyes dry and nothing but snow, the occasional frost, and the light breeze of winter appears. No deathly icicles or piercing blizzards, nothing that could harm anyone who would surely come find her, be it her mum, dad, or Merida. She actually thinks they draw straws to see who comes after her, maybe she should ask them that sometime.

She is jolted away from her thoughts by warm hands resting on her cheeks, making her look up to the father she didn't even dream to have, not after everything that happened. He smiles at her and kisses her forehead lovingly. She can't help but feel warmth at the gesture, she is still always so cool to the touch but there are times like this when she remembers what being warm feels like. "Lass, what did your mum say about thinking too much?"

Elsa laughs, a genuine carefree laugh which lightens the burden she had been feeling ever since that invitation arrived. She smiles, clearing her throat and echoing the words her mum always tells her. "Hush that mind of yours, child. You'll freeze the whole castle with all that worry you're giving yourself. Come here and tell your mum what's eating on that beautiful head, my wee lamb."

Fergus chortles, his whole body vibrating from the laughter escaping him making his daughter laugh along with him. The melodious sounds of their mirth surround the clearing, mirroring the happiness that they both feel in that moment. The two relax against the tree behind them, breathing in the peaceful silence that the clearing is giving off.

"That was a beautiful song by the way, darling. I didn't know Elinor sings lullabies other than Noble Maiden Fair." The king compliments the girl as he scratches his beard in contemplation. Elsa shakes her head, making the man look at her with confusion in his eyes.

"Mum didn't sing that song to me." She whispers sadly, the twinkle in her eyes from just moments ago slowly dulling. "My mama did. It's the only lullaby that could calm Anna down. I... It helps sometimes." She bites her lip, willing herself to not burst into tears again. She clenches her hands into fists on her lap, breathing in ruggedly as she tries to calm herself from the torrents of emotions drowning her heart.

The king immediately covers her hands in his, making Elsa smile at the gesture. "Ai, I'm sorry, lass. I didn't mean to make y-" His words are cut off by the girl's shaking head and her hands squeezing his to gain the king's attention. "You didn't, dad. I just... I miss them. I know that they're gone but I still miss them." She sighs, looking up into the sky as if the answers she had been searching for are written across the heavens. "And more than anything, I miss my sister, dad. I miss Anna."

"I'm sorry, darling. We know how much ya miss your sister but we couldn't just let ya go search for her, not with that hole on your shoulder." Elsa nods at the man's words, her left shoulder suddenly tingling. She reaches out to touch the place where a very prominent scar now lies under her clothes, a reminder of the night when she lost her family. "We tried looking for her. Ya know we have, lass. But the other kingdoms already believed the lies Weselton fed them. And for your safety, we hid ya away. Me and your mum, we didn't want to lose ya, not to that mad beast of Weselton. He can give Mor'du the hibbie jibbies."

"I know, dad." Elsa looks at her dad, gratitude and love shining within the icy blue orbs that are her eyes. Her family - King Fergus, Queen Elinor, Merida, and the boys: Harris, Hubert, and Hamish - have saved her. Not just from Weselton or Tobias but from the loneliness that would have taken her. Without them, she would have been lost to the world, a gaping hole in her chest from the longing she felt for the family she lost.

They healed her, not just the physical wounds but also the injuries her heart had. It took a while but they never gave up on her. They made her feel like she was not alone, like she was a part of a family again. She is a part of a family. And they made her believe, believe that her sister is safe and is out there in the world like her. Hiding from the clutches that Weselton have and lying in wait for the right time to reclaim Arendelle.

Elsa knows that Anna is alive, there's a feeling inside of her telling her that she is. There are mornings when that feeling is the strongest and she knows for sure that her sister is out there. And when doubt comes to fog up her mind, she hums her mama's lullaby and lets everything else melt away. Anna is alive and Elsa knows that her sister will be going to that coronation. It definitely is a trap but she doesn't care. If there is a possibility that she'll finally be reunited with her sister, she'll take it and forget about the consequences.

"Let's go back home, Elsa. I know your mum would want to speak with you about all this invitation stuff." Fergus tells the girl beside him. She nods her head and slowly gets up, smiling at her dad. He smiles back and pulls himself up as well. Together, they walk back towards the large castle they call home.

* * *

"Anna... Psst... Anna..." A low voice says to a knocked out strawberry blonde girl sprawled on a couch. After a moment with no response, the voice groans and moves away from the couch, walking towards the side table with a vase full of roses. He reaches for the vase, takes out the flowers, and places them on the table. A surprised gasp comes from a corner of the room but the guy does not give this any mind as he inverts the vase and lets the water fall on the passed out girl.

A sputtered yell escapes the now drenched girl, immediately sitting up and looking for the reason why she suddenly feels as if she's drowning. Muffled laughter is heard to her side and she sees a blond guy clutching his stomach in mirth. She rolls her eyes and punches the guy's shoulder, making him yelp in pain. She laughs as she tries to push her drenched hair away from her face.

"Did you really have to throw water on her face like that, Kristoff?" A stern voice says behind the two. Anna turns to see who it was, smiling as she sees Rapunzel and a grinning Eugene beside her. The brunette girl shakes her head as she walks over to Anna, sitting beside her and helping to clear the girl's wet hair from her face. The younger girl smiles sheepishly, knowing that she must have worried Rapunzel and everyone else for something she can't seem to remember at the moment.

"Sorry about that." Kristoff says, scratching the back of his head guiltily. The girls give him identical looks of disdain. He cringes, knowing that he's just digging an even bigger hole for himself after everything that happened earlier. "Look, I was worried, okay? You were passed out for a while, Anna. And I just didn't know how else to wake you up. Sorry."

Anna nods, accepting Kristoff's apology. Before she could ask what happened and why her head feels like a hammer fell on top of it, a door opens and two figures enter. Anna's face immediately lights up and she rushes towards them, throwing herself to the woman who entered the room first and grinning at the man behind her. "Gerda! Kai!"

The couple laughs at the girl's enthusiasm. Gerda pulls back and looks at Anna. The younger girl smiles at them, her wet hair falling back into her face and making the two adults see that she is clearly drenched. The older woman looks up and sees Kristoff trying to subtly place the vase back where he took it. Shaking her head at the boy, she turns to her husband who saw what the boy was trying to do as well. "You better tell me you're not the reason why your sister is wet, Kristoff." The voice of the man echoes around the room.

Kristoff bows his head in guilt. "I said I was sorry, pops." Eugene chuckles at the younger guy's predicament, moving towards the couch and plopping down beside Rapunzel, cringing at the slightly damp spot he sat on. He wraps his arm around the girl, bringing her closer to him. Rapunzel smiles, resting herself on Eugene's torso.

Gerda ushers Anna out of the room, telling the others that she'd just have the girl and herself change clothes, and that they'll be back soon. True to her words, the two come back moments later with Anna in a new dress and her hair in her signature braided pigtail, and Gerda sporting a variation of the dress that she was wearing earlier. The strawberry haired girl smiles sheepishly at the other occupants of the room and sits on the chair nearest to her. "So... What happened?"

"Well, why don't you start, sweetheart? Tell us what you remember and we'll fill you in." Gerda says, walking towards her husband but looking at the younger girl with worry in her eyes. Anna nods and absentmindedly fiddles with her fingers. "The orphanage is opening so I was there and oh! Congratulations for that, Gerda. You too, Kai." She smiles at the two, happy for them especially since they have been like parents to her while growing up and they deserve to have their dreams come true.

"I was in the hall, the children were playing. Kristoff comes up to me and he's looking for his crush." Anna continues, oblivious to the fact that the comment garners a groan from the blond and a teasing laugh from Eugene. The other occupants only shake their heads at the two. "And Eugene asks who had a crush on who so Kristoff was all like no-no. But I wanted to tell so I tried but he was gonna cover my mouth so I ran off while he ran after me. The kids were running after me too but they got scared with the angry-looking reindeer king running after me so they left me alone and then I saw Eugene so I ran to him thinking he'd protect me but then bam, I crashed into Rapunzel. And then there was this invitation and all became black. And I think I have a knot in my head."

Anna looks up expectantly at the other people, hoping that they'd fill her in as she gingerly touches the place where she thinks she has a knot. She cringes as she feels it beneath her fingers and groans, knowing that it will take a while to heal it. Kai clears his throat, making the girl look at the man. "You passed out, Anna." She nods her head, already piecing together that she did. "You read the invitation and blacked out. Kristoff carried you to our office while Rapunzel and Eugene told us what happened. Gerda said you'd be much comfortable lying down so we brought you here. We do need to put ice on that knot though."

The girl nods her head, already thinking of going to the market to see if they still have ice. If not, she'll just ask Kristoff to get some for her. She looks at the man, thinking that there is still some piece of information that she's missing. She raises her brow as her electric blue orbs swirl with curiosity, silently asking Kai to just tell it to her straight. "The invitation is for Princess Elsa's coronation."

Anna immediately stands up at hearing Kai's words. "Elsa!" She begins pacing the floor, muttering under her breath. Her brain working its way to understanding how all of this is possible. How is Elsa in Arendelle and having a coronation. How is her sister in that place where that monster is. How or rather why didn't her sister go look for her after all these years. Or maybe it isn't Elsa at all. Maybe Tobias just wants her to go to Arendelle so he can finally finish what he started. Or maybe Elsa is really in Arendelle and being held hostage.

Anna stops her pacing, her head throbbing with all the possibilities her mind is thinking of. Not to mention how it was already hurting with the fall she had earlier, making her have a massive headache. She feels a hand touch her shoulders, looking up to see the concerned face of Kai. She lets him pull her to the couch, Rapunzel and Eugene scooting a bit to make some room for the girl. She sits beside the two, groaning as she holds her head in her hands.

"I don't understand what the big deal is." A voice suddenly rings around the room. Anna looks up to stare at the owner of the voice, confusion in her eyes. Rapunzel looks back with the same confusion swirling in her emerald gaze. "I mean, my parents told me that Arendelle has shut the gates for a long time now so inviting all the other kingdoms for the coronation is a good thing, right?"

Anna's eyes widen, her mind telling her that something is not right. The clearing of a throat draws her attention and she stares at Eugene who suspiciously has a guilty look on his face. He rubs the back of his head as he sheepishly says, "Rapunzel doesn't know anything. And before anyone of you yell at me, let me explain." Eugene looks at the girl beside him, pleading in his eyes. Rapunzel nods her head, he smiles and holds her hands in his as he continues, "It's not that I don't trust you, Rapunzel. It's just not my secret to tell. I didn't want my sister to get mad at me. I hoped she would tell you what her secret is herself. I didn't know she didn't say anything."

Rapunzel squeezes Eugene's hands, making him look at her. She smiles and kisses his cheek, making him blush. "Thank you for being honest but can I know what is going on now?" She turns to look at the girl beside her, silently asking Anna to tell her what Eugene is talking about.

Anna sighs, she doesn't like opening up old wounds but she knows Rapunzel isn't a person who will just spill her secrets to anyone who would dare to listen. Not to mention she used to have a secret of her own, with the magic hair that glows when she sings and all. The younger girl nods, telling herself that nothing bad will happen if she tells Rapunzel.

"I already told you about my sister, Elsa." Rapunzel nods at this. "I kinda sorta unintentionally decided to leave an itty bitty detail out of the story." Anna wrings her hands in front of her, suddenly nervous at what Rapunzel's reaction will be. She breathes deeply, trying to calm her heart as she says, "We'retheprincessesofArendelleandthepapaandmamaItoldyouaboutwerethekingandquueen."

"Can you repeat that?" Rapunzel says, her eyes twinkling with mirth at Anna's flustered state. The younger girl pouts but repeats what she said more calmly, "We're the princesses of Arendelle. The papa and mama I told you about were the king and queen." Rapunzel's eyes widen, looking around the other occupants of the room for confirmation to what she just heard. Eugene nods and her eyes swirl with more questions.

"This is going to be a long talk." Kristoff sighs, lying on the floor and staring at the ceiling. "Tell me about it." Eugene says agreeing with the blond as Anna tells her story to Rapunzel. Gerda and Kai filling in the other details to the tale being told.

* * *

"What are you doing?" A girl with platinum blonde locks drones out. She's looking at a scar faced man, throwing whichever trinket he gets his hands into. The once organized study is now littered with various books and broken glass haphazardly strewn along the floor. The man huffs, his mercurial eyes glinting with annoyance from the interruption. "What does it look like I'm doing, princess? This room direly needs a makeover and I'm doing the staff a favor by ruining whatever useless thing I find."

The princess doesn't give any acknowledgement to what the man said. Instead she looks out the large window in the room, staring at the clear blue sky. A loud thud is then heard accompanied by a sickening laughter. She turns back to see the man in the room holding a piece of paper. The man looks at her with madness in his eyes as he smirks at the girl before him. "Look what I found, Princess Elsa."

The man stalks over to the princess, waving the paper teasingly. When he's finally in front of the sitting girl, he shoves the paper in her hands. Elsa brings it to her face only to immediately crumple it, her right eye twitching suddenly. The usually stoic girl stares at the man, anger quickly brewing beneath icy blue orbs. This makes the man smirk wider as he sits next to the princess, his own gaze challenging.

"How dare you?" Elsa hisses, her hands slowly tearing the paper into shreds. The man laughs at the girl's reaction, enjoying the temporary albeit strong emotion Elsa is showing. He deeply enjoys shaking the girl up from the cool untouchable exterior she has. He sits languidly on the chair as he continues to stare at the princess. "What, princess? Didn't you like me giving you that sketch of your father?"

"Listen hear, Tobias." Elsa says menacingly to the man. Her body shaking with unrestrained fury. She leans towards him, grabbing his collar and pulling him close. Tobias's eyes reflect mirth, his smirk still in place as the girl before him gazes at him with murderous intent. "I have no father. That man forfeited his right to be called as such a long time ago." Elsa sneers, spitting the words with venom lacing every letter.

She pushes Tobias back and stands, throwing the pieces of shredded paper on the floor as she turns towards the window once again. The man laughs maniacally, enjoying the show that just happened in front of him. He doesn't even mind that the princess treated him as if he was a lowly servant just then, too amused by her reaction to care. After the man gets himself in check, he turns towards the princess. His eyes still dancing with unadulterated sadistic mischief. "Still so touchy, I see."

Elsa stiffens at his words but she remains standing with her back towards the man. Tutting, Tobias crosses his legs and brings his arms to rest behind his head. "How can you rule when you're this weak? Letting a simple sketch control your emotions. I am so disappointed, princess. Emotions are weakness. You don't want to be weak now, do you?" The man shakes his head, clicking his tongue as if in scolding.

Elsa turns to look at Tobias, her face devoid of any trace of emotion once again. She bows her head slightly in deference to the man. "I apologize for the outburst, Tobias. It will not happen again." The man nods his head in acceptance as the princess returns to the seat she abandoned earlier. "Of course, it won't happen again. I don't want to re-educate you after all, princess. You remember how hard it is for me to do that, don't you?"

"Yes." The girl whispers lightly. Tobias grins at her response, he truly does enjoy the obedience the princess has. The man shakes his head in mirth as he stands, walking towards the door. He has wasted enough time playing with the princess and now needs to see if his orders are being fulfilled.

"Tobias," The man turns before opening the door, his brow raises in silent question. "Do I need to kill her too?" Tobias walks back towards the princess at hearing her words. He reaches out to hold her chin in a firm grip as he brings her face to look directly at him. "You're not backing out now, are you?" His eyes darkening as he stares at the girl in front of him. He can see the already fading bruises on her face and neck. He immediately sneers, he hates this about the girl. He hates how she heals remarkably faster than normal humans do but he can't really do anything about that. "No." Elsa replies silently, the man releases his grip on her but continues to look menacingly at the girl, prompting her to continue. "I'm not backing out. I just need to know if I need to kill my sister as well."

Tobias snorts, his eyes rolling at the girl. "Why is this important, princess?" He asks with genuine curiosity coating his words. Elsa is a well-trained dog in his opinion, she doesn't question anything he says other than to ask things to satiate her own curiosity. And even when she asks why she had do something, she always does it in the end. He doesn't understand why killing someone would be an issue now when she has killed countless of times before, sometimes in cold blood as well. The princess looks at his eyes, her own icy blue hues swirling with something the man can't decipher.

"I dream about her. I dream about Anna."

* * *

All eyes rest on the brunette girl sitting on the couch. The strawberry blonde girl next to her waits with bathed breath for something, anything that the girl will do. "So let me get this straight. Arendelle was attacked thirteen years ago. Your parents were the king and queen, making you and your sister the princesses. The both of you had to escape because of a deranged lunatic wanting to kill you but your sister got hit with a sword and fell off the boat. Not to mention that same sister has magical ice powers. Am I right so far, Anna?"

Anna nods fervently, glad that the older girl has understood the gibberish she was spewing moments ago. The older girl breathes deeply and continues recounting the facts she had just learned. "You, Kai, Gerda, Kristoff, and Sven reach Corona and decided to hide. But you immediately ran off and got lost for two weeks?"

"Ten days actually but it's all the same, Rapunzel." Anna corrects the girl as the older girl stores that tidbit in her slowly overloading mind. "Ten days, okay. Someone helped you to get back to the others and that person became your mentor?" A blond guy scoffs at this, earning a glare from Anna and the tilting of Rapunzel's head. "More like girlfriend if you ask me. Right, Eugene?"

The guy sitting on the other side of Rapunzel shakes his head no. "No. I'm not gonna drag myself into a hole like you did, Kristoff. You're on your own." Rapunzel smiles at this as Anna throws her shoe at the unsuspecting guy lying on the floor. A pained groan escapes from Kristoff at being hit with the shoe, making the younger girl laugh. She brings out her tongue, taunting Kristoff jokingly. "You're just saying that because you're jealous! Admit it! You like her!"

"I am not!" Kristoff says sitting up and glaring at Anna. "Wait," Eugene interrupts the bantering duo. "The girl Kristoff has a crush on is Alexis?" He asks, genuinely surprised. Anna immediately nods her head while Kristoff shakes his. Eugene laughs at his two siblings until a pinch is given to his side. He yelps and stares at Rapunzel who is looking at him with annoyance. "Can I continue now please?"

"Sorry, love." Eugene whispers, kissing the girl's cheek and nodding at her to continue what she was saying. Kristoff tosses the shoe back to Anna and she catches it, placing it back on her foot. She nods at the older girl, silently saying that they were ready to listen again.

"Anyway, as I was saying. Alexis became your mentor. She taught you... stuff?" Rapunzel asks. "You can say that although she's more like a big sister than a teacher." Anna replies, playing with her hands. She doesn't really like talking about what Alexis taught her, that's why she didn't tell Rapunzel much about that aspect of her life. If she's being honest, not even Gerda or Kai knows a lot about that too. And she'd rather keep it that way, she doesn't want a repeat of what happened a few years back.

Seeing Anna's discomfort with the topic, Rapunzel rushes on to the next part of the story. "Moving on, you all had to hide because Arendelle, or in this case Tobias, sent off a letter to neighboring lands that a plague has struck the kingdom. All citizens of Arendelle who have snuck out the country are most likely infected and are needed to be returned immediately or else the plague will spread. Or so that's what they said."

Not hearing any opposition, Rapunzel continues. "In actuality, it's a plan by Tobias to get you back to Arendelle and finish what he started but you didn't fall for it and lived in the depths of the forest, here in Corona. Two years after you all have lived here, Eugene stumbled into your place and decided to steal your food." She raises her brow at the guy as he just sheepishly shrugs his shoulders. "Gerda and Kai caught him but since it was them, they took him in like you and Kristoff. But Eugene being Eugene, he still goes off at times to steal from the town's market."

All the persons in the room nod at this as they all glare at the guy in question. He raises his hands in surrender. "Hey! If I stopped that habit of mine, I wouldn't have met you last year, blondie." Eugene says cheekily. Rapunzel rolls her eyes and bumps her shoulder with his, making him grin. "Besides, it turned out for the best. I mean, you got your real parents now. You have a best friend other than that weird-looking fro-" A hard slap on the shoulder stops Eugene from finishing his sentence as Rapunzel looks at him with offense.

"I was just joking! Come on! You know I love that little dude!" Kristoff laughs as Eugene tries to coax Rapunzel to forgive him. Anna giggles at the older guy's predicament as well. Eugene tries to use the smolder but that only leads to Rapunzel pushing his face towards the couch, making Anna and Kristoff laugh harder.

"Children, enough teasing. Do you all want a time out?" A portly man jokingly scolds as his wife giggles by his side. The four look up at hearing the voice, smiling sheepishly at the couple. "Sorry, Kai. Gerda." Rapunzel says in behalf of the group as the others nod along with her. The adults smile and move towards them with Gerda kneeling in front of Anna and holding her hands. "What do you want to do now, Princess Anna?"

"Well, you can stop calling me princess for one." Anna says with a smile, the older woman laughs at this and squeezes the girl's hands. "You and Kai raised me as your own. Like Kristoff and Eugene and Sven too. We're a family, maybe not by blood but we are. You're my mother like how Kai is my father. And I have the misfortune to call those two my big brothers." A chorus of grunts is heard at that comment but Anna continues, not giving the two grumbling guys any mind. "You two took care of me and are still taking care of me, I'll be forever grateful to the both of you. I'm not a princess, I'm your daughter."

Gerda pulls the girl in a tight hug, her eyes brimming with tears. Anna hugs her back as she smiles at Kai who is standing beside a now sitting Kristoff. The older woman pulls away from the hug but touches the girl's cheeks in her hands. She gives an affectionate kiss to either side, making Anna giggle at the gesture.

"I'm sorry to end the moment, ladies." Eugene says earning a glare from Rapunzel. He just shrugs and smiles at the girl, making her roll her eyes. "We still need to think of what we're going to do. I mean, on one hand this could be a trap. On the other, Elsa could really be in Arendelle. We need to think of a plan, a strategy, just something so we don't go there blind."

"Eugene's right." Kai agrees with the younger man. "Tobias most likely wants to draw you out or maybe even your sister. The question is, why now?"

"The date is right." Anna whispers, making all eyes turn to her. She looks up as Gerda stands and moves towards her husband. The strawberry blonde girl stands as well and walks to face everyone, placing herself in the middle of the room. "The invitation says that this month-long celebration is for the coronation. It's the right date. Next month is Elsa's birthday and she will be of age by then."

Kristoff raises his hand, making the girl look at him with curious eyes. "Question. What's the big deal if she is of age?" Before Anna responds, Kai beats her to it. "It means that she has the right to claim the throne. Tobias must be using a decoy to retain the power he has on Arendelle and to thwart whatever plan the real princess may have when she is finally of age."

Anna nods at this, starting to pace again and feeling her head throb anew. "This is his strategy or so I think it is. He wants to show everyone that the real princess is still alive and secure Weselton's rule. Or he wants to draw me and my sister out to finish what he started. Either way, it's a win-win for him." She bites her lip in worry and looks at the others for guidance.

"How about we attend this celebration." Rapunzel suggests, everyone's eyes widening at hearing this. "I mean, it's also possible that they have the real Elsa there and holding her against her will. If we go and see whether it's an impostor or not, we can know what our next course of action is."

A hum of agreement echoes around the room, understanding Rapunzel's reasoning. "The only problem is that Kai and Gerda have to stay here since they have to run the orphanage." The couple nods at this, already knowing that they can't do much help with their ages being in the way. "And Anna can't come with us as well." Rapunzel continues, looking at the younger girl.

"What? Why?" The strawberry blonde immediately protests. "From what you told me, firefly, Tobias saw you when you were kids. He knows what you look like." Rapunzel replies with worry in her gaze. "Anna can come with a disguise on." Kristoff suddenly interjects, shrugging his shoulders. "I mean, she can just cut her hair off or something. We still have two weeks anyway before the celebration starts."

"Alexis." Anna murmurs, her electric blue orbs widening at the idea she just had. "Alexis can help! I need to go! I have to go! I gotta go now!" The girl rushes out of the room, leaving everyone to stare in confusion at her retreating form.

* * *

A loud groan resounds around the bedroom as a fiery red-haired girl plops on her bed. "Can't we just cancel the marriage, charge into Arendelle, and reclaim the throne?" She moans exasperatedly as she looks to an older woman sitting beside her bed.

"No, Merida. We can't just cancel the presentation of suitors. It's tradition. You're the princess, this is your duty." The woman replies sternly, looking at her daughter pointedly. "And we can't just charge off to another kingdom. We don't want a potential war in our doorstep, no matter how tempting it is."

The queen breathes deeply, trying to calm herself. After Elsa and Fergus came back, they started talking about everything that has happened. From the replies of the lords to the invitation of Arendelle. They've been trying to find a solution for their problems for hours now but they can't seem to find any.

"But Elsa's a princess too so go marry her off!" Merida says sitting up and pointing at a platinum blonde girl quietly sitting beside a burly man. Elsa's eyes widen and she looks up at the man beside her, asking for help but he just shakes his head. "Don't drag me into this, Merida. I have enough problems already." She says as she rubs her temples.

"We won't figure anything out with all this squabbling. We need to think of a strategy. Come on, Elinor. I know you can figure this out." The king says walking towards his wife, placing his hands on her shoulders in comfort. She sighs deeply, trying to let go of the tension that has been building up in her since they started this talk. She looks up to see the expectant looks from the other occupants of the room as the king sits on the bed and pats Merida affectionately. Before she can say anything though, a knock is heard coming from the bedroom door.

"Come in." The queen says authoritatively, composing herself to the calm and collected queen she is known for. The door opens and a girl with long raven locks enter. She bows deeply in respect to all the occupants in the room before addressing the queen. "Your Highness, Maudie has sent me to inform you that the princes have... redecorated the sitting room... again."

Elinor exhales, rolling her eyes at the predictability of her sons. She nods at the girl, silently thanking her for the information and dismissing her all the same. The girl bows again but before she leaves a thought crosses the queen's mind, making her eyes widen. "Wait, Blair." The girl halts in her steps and turns curiously to the queen.

Elinor purses her lips and walks towards her, inspecting the girl's visage. After her scrutiny, the queen turns towards Elsa and motions for her to stand beside the other girl. The princess silently obeys and walks over to the two other people standing inside the room. The queen nods, looking at both girls in front of her. Suddenly, she claps her hands together and smiles. "Strip. The both of you."

Blair's eyes immediately widen at the queen's words, her mouth hanging open in shock. "E-excuse me, my queen." The girl asks, her voice cracking slightly as a blush creeps up her cheeks. "I believe that I misheard what you said. Did you ask me and the princess to strip?"

"Elinor!" A disgruntled Fergus shouts, his eyes wide as he jumps out of the bed to stare questioningly at his wife. The queen turns to her husband, her brow raised. "Well, get out." She says pointedly, making the man's blue orbs widen more. "They can't get naked while you're in the room."

The queen pulls her confused husband out the room, not listening to the protests he is saying. When he's finally outside, she closes the door with a bang and locks it. She turns to see three sets of eyes looking at her. One luminous blue swirling with curiosity, an icy set clouded with question and a bit of fear, and hazel orbs with unmistakable dread.

Elinor smiles sweetly at them, walking towards the bed and leaning in to whisper something to Merida. The girl's face immediately shows shock which then morphs into a mischievous grin as her mother continues to tell her something only she can hear. When the queen is done, they both look at the two girls standing inside the room. "Ya heard my mother, lassies. Remove your clothes or I would have to force ya." Merida says jokingly.

Elsa sighs as she slowly acquiesce to her mum's command. Blair looks at the princess beside her, seeing her starting to undress makes her shoulders drop in surrender. The two gingerly remove what they're wearing. Elsa stares at her grinning sister with pointed eyes, a pinkish hue covering her cheeks as Blair looks down, her face still beet red from her blush earlier. The rustling of fabric and clinking of metal are the only things heard around the room. As the two finish removing their clothes, or armor in Blair's case, they look up at queen with curious eyes.

Elinor walks towards the two girls standing in only their underclothes, their garments pooling at their feet. The queen motions for Blair to hand over her tartan robe and she obeys silently. The queen inspects them, turning towards Merida as she looks at the piece of clothing in her hands.

Blair is the only female guard they have in the castle. If Elinor remembers correctly, she is the only female guard in all the clans actually. Four years ago, her father died in battle while trying to protect Fergus. Being the only heir, a then sixteen year old Blair begged the king to accept her as part of the royal guard to uphold her family's tradition of being in service to the royals. Elinor declined of course, but her husband saw something in the lass and told her that if she can pass the test set out for her, she'd be accepted as part of the royal guards. Blair proved herself to everyone that day and has been one of their best soldiers ever since.

The girl's armor resembles that of her husband without the bear fur cape. A chain mail over the long tunic she wears as underclothes, a brown leather armor, the royal guard's signature tartan robe, and a wide leather belt to complete the ensemble. Normally, the girl has a sword holstered on her belt or a bow slung over her shoulders with a quiver full of arrows on her back. But looking at her without the weapons, the queen can see that she has just finished washing up after her training. Maudie most likely saw her after her session in the grounds and told her to report to them. In her haste, Blair must have forgotten to take her weapons from being cleaned.

The queen then turns her attention to Elsa. Seeing the girl shyly standing before her reminds Elinor of the little princess she had met years ago. That young Elsa was extremely courteous and respectful, afraid to overstep her boundaries inside the castle. It was rather endearing for Elinor since that is what a princess should be in the queen's humble opinion. But she saw glimpses of who the girl was underneath the mask the child was always wearing and decided to coax the girl out of her shell. It took a while and a great lot of patience but thanks to her husband and Merida, they all got to Elsa. And the girl blossomed into the lady before her now.

Elinor smiles at Elsa, making the younger girl smile back. She hands over the Blair's robe to the girl, and Elsa immediately takes it. "Wear this and give Blair your dress, Elsa." The two girls look at each other with wide eyes but comply to what the queen is asking. Muffled giggles can be heard suspiciously coming from the bed but they don't give this any mind.

After the two girls exchange the clothes they were wearing with Blair helping the princess in putting her armor in place, the queen looks them over once again. Nodding her head, she turns to sit on the bed beside the still chortling Merida and addresses the two girls in front of her. "The both of you will act as the other for the coming week."

"I'm sorry, mum, but why do we have to do this exactly?" Elsa asks, bafflement coating her words. Merida stops her giggling and smirks towards the older girl. "Because mum says so!" The younger princess sing-songs, her eyes twinkling with mirth. "Don't listen to your sister." Elinor immediately scolds the girl lightheartedly. "The reason why I'm asking this from the both of you is because I figured out how we'll be able to solve our problems."

"My queen," Blair interjects respectfully. At Elinor's nod, the girl continues. "If I'd be of any aide to you and the kingdom, I'd gladly do whatever it is you ask." The queen smiles at this, happy to know that at least one of the two girls are willing to go with whatever plan she has. Elsa will be another hurdle all together, coaxing her to go through with the strategy the queen had in mind will be tough but she knows her daughter will see that this is the only option they have.

"Elsa, darling, you know we can't leave the kingdom now. Not with the lords coming in three weeks time." Elinor tells the girl. She stands again and walks towards the girl, reaching out to hold Elsa's hands. The queen squeezes them and smiles, trying to tell the younger girl that everything will be okay. Elsa smiles backs, silently asking her mum to continue. "But that doesn't mean you can't go to Arendelle. We know how much you long to see your sister and this is the perfect time to do that. We want you to be reunited with your sister but we can't just let you go there alone."

"I know, mum." Elsa whispers, the queen can see that longing starting to darken the girl's arctic blue hues. She reaches out to touch the girl's cheeks, making Elsa look at her mum once again. "That invitation is most likely a trap but they'll be searching for a platinum blonde girl and not a well-renowned guard of DunBroch." The girl's eyes immediately widen at this, understanding what her mum is trying to say.

"Whenever Blair is out of the kingdom, she usually wears her helmet that hides her hair and obscures her face." Blair nods at this, confirming what the queen had said. "All the kingdoms know of how we have a talented female guard but they don't know what she looks like. The same as how the kingdoms know that we adopted an orphan years ago but not know who she is." The queen smiles at the two, Merida smiling at them as well. "No one will question if a guard wears a helmet, armor, and weapons while she follows the adopted Princess of DunBroch to the celebration."

"And it wouldn't hurt that the same guard really does know how to wield a weapon in the first place." Elsa adds cheekily. Her mum rolling her eyes at the jibe the girl did at the comment she made earlier about princesses wielding weapons but a smile springs upon her lips all the same. Happy that after that dreaded invitation came, the queen can see her daughter's eyes sparkling again with hope.

They have a plan now. It still has a lot of holes but at least they have something. And the celebration wouldn't start in two weeks, that will be enough time for them to prepare everything. She and her family may not be able to come with Elsa on her journey back to Arendelle, but she'll make sure that the girl is as protected as she can be. She'll be damned if she let that monster hurt her daughter once again.

* * *

A loud cackle is heard coming from the closed doors of the study. A chestnut-haired man is the source of the demented sound, his eyes swimming with glee as he stares at a girl with arctic blue eyes sitting in front of him. He raises his brow in question as a smirk forms upon his lips. "You've been mean, princess. Keeping this from me. It wounds me that you didn't tell this to me sooner." The man mocks, pulling his hands into his chest.

The princess rolls her eyes, turning to look towards the destruction laying on the floor before her. She absentmindedly begins to draw patterns on her left palm as she addresses the man without looking up. "Don't play around, Tobias. You're not hurt at all." She says coolly, indifference painting her whole body as she tilts her head upon seeing a sharp piece of glass near where she is sitting. She stops drawing in her palm, bends down, and picks the piece of glass up. Bringing it close to her face as it reflects the light streaming in from the large window.

More laughter answers the girl as Tobias pulls a chair towards him. He straddles the furniture, sitting with his front to the chair's back and resting his arms on the top of it. He smirks cruelly at the princess, enjoying the fact that she's preoccupied with something again. Her innate curiosity is amusing at times and he's very glad how that curiosity turns dark without preamble.

The girl in front of her is really something, Tobias muses. He was right when he concluded that she will be a formidable foe given the right training. And since she is his student, one can say that he made a monster rivaling himself. This thought makes him smirk wider. He should hold another tournament soon, maybe during the celebration. He's itching for a good fight and the princess will surely give him that. Not to mention the possibility of fighting other notable soldiers from the other kingdoms will be a thrill as well. He nods to himself, noting that he'll have it arranged after the talk he has with the princess.

"So tell me again, Princess Elsa." He hisses, drawing the girl's attention back to him. "You have dreams about your dear little sister." She nods at this, making his silver eyes glint. "Care to tell me what you dream about, princess?"

"I can't remember much." She says evenly, fiddling with the glass in her hands. "Just that she's there. And I was there as well."

Tobias grunts, not really expecting much from the dream. Not at the moment anyway. He believes that all of that will change in the coming weeks though, most especially when the celebration begins. He's strategy is most tempting and curiosity is a friend that will aide him a lot. They will surely come and when they do, well, then the fun will begin.

The sound of breaking glass jolts him out of his thoughts and he looks up to see the princess with her left hand bleeding. Shards of tiny glass sticking to her hand and breaking the skin. Tobias scoffs and takes out a handkerchief out of his pockets, handing it to the girl. She wipes the blood off, mesmerized by the red liquid soaking the white cloth.

"What did you do this time, princess?" Tobias asks exasperated, seeing the girl bleeding is a normal occurrence. And he'll be honest and say that he enjoys it as well but only when he is the reason for making the girl bleed. "The glass got too cold. It shattered when I flicked it." Elsa whispers lightly, too preoccupied with taking off the shards of glass in her hand to think of anything else.

Tobias sighs and stands up, shaking her head at the girl. He turns to leave the room once again but turns when he remembers something. "Don't be late for dinner later, princess." She nods her head and he continues. "Be sure to tell the servants to clean this room up. Don't try helping them, you'll only be distracted by something and hurt yourself again. And as much as I know that you heal fast, I'd rather not have my servants cowering in fear and committing suicide again for fear of my wrath being unleashed at hearing the princess is hurt." He exhales exasperated. "We already lose a great deal of servants daily, I'd rather not lose competent ones as well.

"I understand." Elsa says looking up towards the man. He nods and opens the door. Looking back at the room one last time, he smirks as a thought crosses his mind. He exits the room, leaving the princess to her own devices as Tobias thinks about all the excitement coming their way.

* * *

A strawberry blonde girl huffs in frustration as she dodges another arrow coming her way. She groans to herself as she mutters under her breath. "Why does Alexis have to be so paranoid? How many traps did she put up this time? I should have jus-" A twig breaking stops the girl in her tracks as she surveys her surroundings. She knows that no one else comes to this part of the forest and that it is heavily armed with various traps to keep outsiders out. There is only one reasonable explanation for what she heard.

The girl turns as she hears loud growls coming from behind her. A large beast stands at the back of the girl. It has a head of a lion, the body of a goat, and it's tail is a snake. The beast is moving towards the girl menacingly, barring its teeth. "Really, Alexis? A manticore? Why can't you just have unicorns?" The girl asks the listening wind. Her voice seems to jolt the manticore as he starts to breathe of fire.

She jumps, exceptionally high to be humanly possible and twists her body. She lands behind the beast and smiles. But the snake tail immediately reacts and lunges towards her. The girl sidesteps, making it miss but the lion head already turned and has the girl in its sight. He moves his paw to claw at the girl but she ducks and sweeps her left foot on the ground, making the manticore lose its balance.

The girl immediately walks back, avoiding being brought down by the beast. She wipes her hands and turns to leave, thinking that the manticore will leave her alone now. But the fall only angered the beast more and with a mighty roar, he pulled himself up and rammed itself to the retreating girl. The girl is pushed towards the trunk of the tree, hitting her side. She grunts and looks back at the mad beast growling before her.

"Okay, I tried playing nice Mr. Manticore but since you don't want that, I'll be serious for you now." She pulls herself back up and breathes deeply, testing if any of her ribs are cracked. Thankfully, none of them are but she knows that her side will be sore in the morning. She rolls her shoulders and beckons the manticore to come forward.

The beast roars and charges towards her again, breathing fire. Instead of jumping over the incoming flames like she did earlier, the girl just stands her ground. Before the flames can reach and burn her though, she disappears. In a flash, the manticore suddenly drops unconscious on the forest floor with the girl standing next to it.

She crouches down and pats its head. "I'm sorry if I hurt you too badly, Mr. Manticore. I'm just in a hurry. If you're still here on my next visit, I promise to play more." She tells the passed out beast as if it is a pet and not something that was trying to kill her moments ago.

A melodious laughter comes out from nowhere, making the girl stand up and grin. "Do you really need to treat my guards as pets all the time, Anna?" The voice asks jokingly. Anna nods her head as if the person she is talking to is just in front of her. "Of course, Alexis. You told me that they're not really aggressive and that they're only protecting you. And they like it when I do that!"

Another round of laughter is heard at Anna's words, making the girl laugh along with the voice. Suddenly, a girl with snowy white hair and luminous amethyst violet colored eyes appears. She smiles cheekily as Anna runs towards her and bringing the girl into a hug.

They pull back, both girls with smiles on their faces. Before Anna can say anything though, the girl waves her hand towards the unconscious manticore. The beast immediately disappears as Anna's eyes widen. "Where'd you put Mr. Manticore, Alexis?" She asks, worry filling her lightning blue orbs. "He's getting treated. Don't worry. After what you did to him, I'm expecting he wouldn't want to be back out here soon." Alexis replies jokingly, bumping her shoulder to the younger girl.

Anna smiles sheepishly, fiddling with her hands. "I was kind of in a hurry." She looks up to see the girl's eyes before her swirling with confusion. "Do you need something, Anna? You know you can tell me anything, I'll help in any way I can."

"Please teach me how to do a powerful glamour spell."


End file.
